Abstract

Presented by Nicolau Santos and João Rodrigues (CES/FEUC).

Synopsis

This book is about Portugal today. Instead of the anxiety that marks the current debate or the search for a simple sentence, it proposes a detained attitude in which the various dimensions of a complex problem come together. It is based on simple ideas: an economy must be seen as a system of production and supply capable of creating wealth, of fair distribution and of meeting collective needs; the valorization of work constitutes the most solid mechanism of social inclusion; evolution results from explicit or implicit deliberations, that is, from forms of political economy.

It traces the structural characteristics of the Portuguese economy since the 1960s, when became industrialized without regard to labour, coercing emmigration, through democracy, which for the first time created mass employment, and through European integration, reaching EMU and the financialisation that it represents. It is in these last ones that lies the key to understanding the problems of our day.

About the author

José Reis is Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra [FEUC] and researcher at the Centre for Social Studies. He holds a PhD in Economics. He was President of the Central Region Coordination Commission [1996-1999], Secretary of State for Higher Education [1999-2001] and President of the Scientific Council [1992-1994 and 2000-2004] and Director of FEUC [2009-2015]. He is Member of the National Council for Environment and Sustainable Development and Coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in Governance, Knowledge and Innovation. He is responsible for the Seminar on Portuguese Economy -  degree in Economics of FEUC.