Ensaios sobre indústria e política industrial

Abstract

The industrial sector has significant importance for the national States as an instrument of wealth generation which enables them to leverage their growth as well as to act an important agent in achieving economic development. The theme of this thesis is industrial policy in the work of John Maynard Keynes, a theme that simultaneously addresses two aspects which are important in the economic science: industrial Policy, as an instrument for the protection of national firms and the work of Keynes, considered one of the most important authors for the advancement of economics during the 20th century. This Thesis main goal is to verify whether there are propositions regarding the industrial sector in the work of J. M. Keynes, as well as whether such propositions can be related to industrial policy. The methodology used was the bibliographic research that enabled, through the use of primary sources mostly, to analyze the object under investigation in a detailed way. In essay I there are the conceptualization of Industrial policy, the description of its instruments and institutions, the analysis of the different development agendas which can be proposed by the state and the way every one of them tends to influence the form and results of this policy. In essay II a survey was carried out on the theme industry in Keynes’s opus, highlighting the most important among them. Finally, essay III addresses the issue of industrial policy in the Keynesian corpus. The research brought about two important conclusions: (i) there are many references to industry/industrial sector scattered throughout the Keynes’s writings and (ii) in moments of economic crises he not only suggested the use of industrial policy’s mechanisms, but also defended the application of its instruments always emphasizing the union of forces between public and private sectors.