First published in 1982, this work builds on the detailed economic history of Brazil in its companion volume: "Economic Structure and Change, 1822-1947", assessing and challenging the established interpretations. The book covers in depth the causes of the Northeast's poor economic experience and the emergence of significant regional inequality in Brazil's development. In his analysis of the role of Government in Brazil's economic development, the author offers a fresh perspective on the importance of public finance constraints and on the tensions between centralisation and federalism. The...

First published in 1982, this work offers an analysis Brazil's long-term economic history and development, spanning the period from independence to post-war industrial growth. The book focuses upon the classic problem of why Brazil failed to develop economically during the nineteenth century in a manner similar to the United States and other regions of recent settlement. This volume discusses in detail the principle features of Brazil's economic landscape between 1822 and 1947, containing special coverage of topics such as slavery and the elastic supply of low cost labour from overseas; the...