DEMOCRACIA
The Political Economy of Democracy Building: the production and employment system, public provision and institutions
This project is about the construction of economic democracy in the immediate post-25 April period. It will study fundamental aspects of the economic structure and its evolution, seeking to understand the mechanisms that favoured the internal structuring and institutionalization of new social relations in the fields of provision. The project will also focus on the institutions formed during the first phase of democracy and the debates his gave rise to, as well as how the democratic revolution influenced intellectual interest in Portugal, giving rise to new international relationships in the field of ideas. Given the time frame, it is based on just three main analytical axes:
1. The first is to deepen our understanding of the Political Economy of the post-25 April 1974 period, starting by studying two of its fundamental features: job creation and the structuring of public provision in social areas.
2. The second axis will develop the relationship between this form of Political Economy and the creation of new institutions, on the one hand, and, on the other, the economic thought of the time, expressed in the reflections and actions of important public intellectuals.
3. While the first two tasks focus on what happened in Portugal, the third will look at the international context. There are two dimensions to this context that will be researched. The first has to do with the profound change in the ways in which Portuguese society and the economy are internationally integrated.
We hope to conclude with an original interpretation of the economic cycle following April 25, based on structural data on the economy (employment, intersectoral dynamics and relations, qualifications and job reallocation) and the role of public provision. This will allow it to be compared with previous and subsequent cycles in a way that is expected to be original. It will be linked to the economic ideas of that period through works and unpublished information.
Ernesto Nieto-Carrillo
Henrique Pinto Coelho Siqueira
João Pedro Amaral Cabouco Rodrigues
José Reis (coord)
