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Celso Monteiro Furtado (July 26, 1920 – November 20, 2004) was a Brazilian
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there ar ...
and one of the most distinguished intellectuals of his country during the 20th century. His work focuses on development and underdevelopment and on the persistence of poverty in peripheral countries throughout the world. He is viewed, along with
Raúl Prebisch Raúl Prebisch (April 17, 1901April 29, 1986) was an Argentine economist known for his contributions to structuralist economics such as the Prebisch–Singer hypothesis, which formed the basis of economic dependency theory. He became the execut ...
, as one of the main formulators of economic structuralism, an economics school that is largely identified with CEPAL, which achieved prominence in Latin America and other developing regions during the 1960s and 1970s and sought to stimulate economic development through governmental intervention, largely inspired on the views of
John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...
. As a politician, Furtado was appointed Minister of Planning ( Goulart government) and Minister of Culture ( Sarney government).


Biography

Born in Pombal, a city set in the
semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...
region of the state of
Paraíba Paraíba ( Tupi: ''pa'ra a'íba''; ) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba ...
, Celso Furtado moved to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
in 1939, to study Law, and graduated from the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in ...
(UFRJ) in 1944. That same year, he was conscripted to the
Brazilian Expeditionary Force The Brazilian Expeditionary Force ( pt, Força Expedicionária Brasileira, FEB), nicknamed Cobras Fumantes (literally "the Smoking Snakes"), was a military division of the Brazilian Army and Air Force that fought with Allied forces in the ...
to fight in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, alongside the Allies. Seeing countries destroyed in post-war Europe had a profound impact on him, leading to the decision that he would study
Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...
: he enrolled in a doctorate program at the
University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...
( Sorbonne), in 1946, and presented a thesis on the economy of Brazil during the colonial period. In 1949, he moved to
Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...
, where he joined the team of the newly created
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, known as ECLAC, UNECLAC or in Spanish and Portuguese CEPAL, is a United Nations regional commission to encourage economic cooperation. ECLAC includes 46 member States (2 ...
(best known by its Latin American acronym, CEPAL), which was then headed by Argentine economist
Raúl Prebisch Raúl Prebisch (April 17, 1901April 29, 1986) was an Argentine economist known for his contributions to structuralist economics such as the Prebisch–Singer hypothesis, which formed the basis of economic dependency theory. He became the execut ...
. While working at CEPAL, Furtado and Prebisch were decisive for the formulation of socioeconomic policies for the development of Latin America which emphasized industrialization and import substitution. Upon his return to Brazil in 1959, he published his most famous book – ''The Economic Growth of Brazil: A Survey from Colonial to Modern Times'' (in Portuguese: ''Formação Econômica do Brasil'') – and was appointed the director of the
Brazilian Development Bank The National Bank for Economic and Social Development ( pt, Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social, abbreviated: BNDES) is a development bank structured as a federal public company associated with the Ministry of the Economy of Bra ...
(BNDE) in charge of issues concerning states of the northeastern region, which are poor and face chronic droughts and desertification. During this period, he developed a plan which resulted in the creation of the Superintendency for the Development of the Northeast ( Sudene), a governmental agency that worked to stimulate economic growth in that region, and was appointed by Brazilian president
Juscelino Kubitschek Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosp ...
(1956–1961) the agency's first director. During the government of president
João Goulart João Belchior Marques Goulart (1 March 1919 – 6 December 1976), commonly known as Jango, was a Brazilian politician who served as the 24th president of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on 1 April 1964. He was considered th ...
(1961–1964), Furtado became Minister of Planning and was responsible for Brazil's Triennial Plan of development. Furtado was also one of the founders of the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
(UNCTAD), an intergovernmental body created in 1964, whose work has since centered around issues related to development and the asymmetries of international trade. With the Brazilian military coup d'état, in 1964, he was forced into exile and worked as professor at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
, in the United States, and later at
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
and the
University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...
( Sorbonne), in France. After the Law of Amnesty, in 1979, he returned to Brazil and was appointed Ambassador of Brazil at the EEC, in Brussels (1985–1986) and Minister of Culture in the government of president
José Sarney José Sarney de Araújo Costa (; born José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa; 24 April 1930) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as 31st president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. He briefly served as the 20th vice president of ...
(1985–1990). In 2004, Celso Furtado was nominated to the
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...
of Economics ( Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences).


Published books

Furtado published more than 30 books during his lifetime. * ''Contos da vida expedicionária – de Nápoles a Paris''. RJ, Zelio Valverde, 1946 * ''A economia brasileira''. RJ, A Noite, 1954 * ''Uma economia dependente''. RJ, Ministério da Educação e Cultura, 1956 * ''Perspectivas da economia brasileira''. RJ, Instituto Superior de Estudos Brasileiros, 1958 * ''Formação econômica do Brasil''. RJ, Fundo de Cultura, 1959 ** Other editions: *** ''Formação econômica do Brasil''. 14ª ed. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1976. *** ''Formação econômica do Brasil''. 24ª ed. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1991. *** ''Formação econômica do Brasil''. 34ª ed. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2007. * ''A Operação Nordeste''. RJ, Instituto Superior de Estudos Brasileiros, 1959 * ''Uma política de desenvolvimento econômico para o Nordeste''. RJ, Imprensa Nacional, 1959 * ''Desenvolvimento e subdesenvolvimento''. RJ, Fundo de Cultura, 1961 * ''Subdesenvolvimento e Estado democrático''. Recife, Condepe, 1962 * ''A pré-revolução brasileira''. RJ, Fundo de Cultura, 1962 * ''Dialética do desenvolvimento''. RJ, Fundo de Cultura, 1964 * ''Subdesenvolvimento e estagnação na América Latina''. RJ, Civilização Brasileira, 1966. * ''Teoria e política do desenvolvimento econômico''. SP, Editora Nacional, 1967 * ''Um projeto para o Brasil''. RJ, Saga, 1968 * ''Formação econômica da América Latina''. RJ, Lia Editora, 1969 * ''Análise do "modelo" brasileiro''. RJ, Civilização Brasileira, 1972 * ''A hegemonia dos Estados Unidos e o subdesenvolvimento da América Latina''. RJ, Civilização Brasileira, 1973 * ''O mito do desenvolvimento econômico''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1974 * ''A economia latino-americana''. SP, Editora Nacional, 1976 ** Other editions: *** ''A economia latino-americana''. 4ª ed. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2007 * ''Criatividade e dependência na civilização industrial''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1978 ** Other editions: *** ''Criatividade e dependência''. São Paulo: Círculo do Livro, 1980 *** ''Criatividade e dependência''. 2ª ed. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2008 * ''O Brasil pós-"milagre"''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1981 * ''A nova dependência, dívida externa e monetarismo''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1982 * ''Não à recessão e ao desemprego''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1983 * ''Cultura e desenvolvimento em época de crise''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1984 * ''A fantasia organizada''. RJ, Paz e Terra, 1985 * ''A fantasia desfeita''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1989 * ''Transformação e crise na economia mundial''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1987 * ''ABC da dívida externa''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1989 * ''Os ares do mundo''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1991 * ''Brasil, a construção interrompida''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1992 * ''Obra autobiográfica de Celso Furtado, 3 vol., ed. de Rosa Freire d'Aguiar''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1997 * ''O capitalismo global''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1998 * ''O longo amanhecer''. SP, Paz e Terra, 1999 * ''Em busca de um novo modelo''. SP, Paz e Terra, 2002


English translations

*
The Myth of Economic Development
' (2020), translation: Jordan B. Jones, Polity Press * ''The Economic Growth of Brazil: A Survey from Colonial to Modern Times (1963), Los Angeles: University of California Press'' * ''Development and Underdevelopment (1964), Los Angeles: University of California Press'' * ''The Colonial Economy In Brazil In the centuries XVI and XVII'' * ''Accumulation and Development: The Logic of Industrial Civilization (1983), Oxford: Martin Robertson'' * ''Economic Development of Latin America: A Survey from Colonial Times to the Cuban Revolution (1970), 2nd ed.: 2003, translation: Suzette Macedo, Cambridge University Press'' * ''No to Recession and Unemployment: An Examination of the Brazilian Economic Crisis (1984), London: TW Foundation'' * ''Global Capitalism (1998), translation: Jorge Navarrete, ©1999, Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico'' (with Sue Branford) * ''Obstacles to development in Latin America (1970), New York: Anchor Books-Doubleday'' * ''Diagnosis of the Brazilian Crisis (1965), Los Angeles: University of California Press''


Analysis

''The Economic Growth of Brazil'' (original title, ''Formação Econômica do Brasil'') is his best known book and considered by many to be a national classic. First published in 1959, it depicts Brazil's economic history and the causes of underdevelopment. In ''O Mito do Desenvolvimento Econômico'' (The myth of economic development, in Portuguese), published in 1974, Furtado almost prophetically refers to the "globalisation of the world economy" ("mundialização da economia") when describing the ongoing economic process known today as
globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
and raises questions about issues we experience today: 1) The myth of economic development versus the need for natural resources for economic processes: it is mistaken to think that economic development and its benefits will some day reach everyone in the world if the model of economic development does not change. For instance, there are not sufficient
natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
available for everyone in the world if we take as a benchmark the economic model on which the economy was based in the 1970s and is also based currently, i.e. the model where consumerism and individualism are the basis for corporate actions. For instance, if everybody could afford to buy a car, our cities would be completely gridlocked. Furtado's critique of the myths of economic development was based on a report of the
Club of Rome The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy. It consist ...
, which is summarized i
Abstract of The limits to Growth: a report to The Club of Rome
2) On poverty: in countries that have no "central" economies (countries that are not the base for giant corporations), at most 10% of population could reach the level of wealth achieved by people in the richest countries. Peripheral economies, which would not create an independent and more complete economy, would remain poor and experience growing disparities between their poor and their rich inhabitants; 3) On the world economic superstructure: The world superstructure of the capitalist economy (mainly
IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
and
GATT The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas. According to its p ...
, which gave rise to the
WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
(World Trade Organization) would, on the one hand, increase control over the world economy, also increasing freedom for capital flows and for the actions of big corporations, while, on the other hand, it would reduce the number of possible choices available for governments, mainly for poor country's governments. This is the kind of development that has been taking place for the last 30 years.


References


Works


"The economic formation of Brazil", in Portuguese


External links




The International Celso Furtado Center for Development Policies


in
História do pensamento econômico



Centro Internacional Celso Furtado
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furtado, Celso 1920 births 2004 deaths Brazilian economists Ministers of Culture of Brazil Ambassadors of Brazil to the European Economic Community Development economists Dependency theorists Brazilian military personnel of World War II People from Paraíba Federal University of Rio de Janeiro alumni University of Paris alumni Sudene personnel Brazilian expatriates in Italy Brazilian expatriates in France