The reorganized fantasy: Celso Furtado and the Sixth Republic (1979 - 1992)

Abstract

Celso Monteiro Furtado was one of Brazil's leading economists and his contribution to the theory and policy of economic development marked Latin American economic thought. His work as an economic policy formulator is mainly linked to the creation of the Superintendence for the Development of the Northeast Region (SUDENE) and to João Goulart's Ministry of Planning. After the military coup of 1964 Furtado's career as a public agent was interrupted and he had to go into exile, first to Chile, then to the United States and finally to France. Less analysed, however, is his role in the political transition of the early 1980s. Affiliated to the PMDB in 1981, Furtado intensely participated in discussions on the country's economic situation and, together with the other economists of the party, formulated the parameters of an alternative economic policy. Thus, in a parallel with his biographical work, we may define Furtado's engagement in the transition as "the reorganized fantasy". The present research project aims at analyzing Celso Furtado's role in the construction of the Sixth Republic. It is proposed to study the period from 1979 to 1992, a period in which Furtado focused his attention on the situation of the Brazilian economy and on the political transition. Three main elements comprise Furtado's work: criticism of the dictatorship's economic program and the search for an alternative economic program; redemocratization and the country's cultural development. This last aspect will be further explored through a research internship in Paris, which will allow for a broad research in different archives and interviews with personalities who lived with Celso Furtado during the period in which he lived in the city. Finally, a methodology composed of three parts is proposed: an extensive bibliographical review of the mentioned period, documentary research and interviews with personalities who were involved in the transition to the Sixth Republic.