Birchal, Sergio de Oliveira
(1995)
Entrepreneurship and the formation of a business environment in nineteenth-century Brazil: The case of Minas Gerais.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
This thesis is divided into four parts. The first examines the social background of mineiro entrepreneurs and the source of their capital. The second assesses the structural development of mineiro firms. The third investigates the process of technology transfer in nineteenth-century Minas Gerais, the dependence of various firms on foreign technical knowledge, and the limits to the development of indigenous technology. The fourth examines capital-labour relations and the formation of the labour market in Minas Gerais. The objective of the research is to consider - and extend - the debate in the literature about patterns of development in backward economies. According to the "historical determinist" approach, the history of advanced countries traces out the road of development for less developed economies. Opposing this view, the "economic backwardness" approach points out that the development of backward countries differs considerably from the advanced countries in terms of the speed of development and the productive and organizational structures of their economies. This thesis uses the concept of "economic backwardness" to investigate the formation of a "spirit of capitalism" in Minas Gerais and how far the Brazilian economy was able to close the development gap with the more advanced economies. This thesis also contributes to the study of Brazilian economic history by looking specifically at the process of development of the state/province of Minas Gerais. The economic historiography of Brazil on the nineteenth century is heavily based on evidence drawn from S?o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and overlooks important socio-economic differences between the various sub-regions. As this thesis demonstrates, the rate and character of the development of Minas Gerais were to a large extent determined by its degree of backwardness, intellectual climate and natural potentialities, and accordingly the course of development of the mineiro economy differed considerably from process observed in more advanced countries. In addition, comparison between Minas Gerais, S?o Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro shows important differences among these three economies, mainly in sources of entrepreneurship and labour.
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