Brazilian entrepreneur: a comparative study

Vol. 18 No. 3 (1998)

Jul-Sep / 1998
Published July 1, 1998
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))

How to Cite

Birchal, Sérgio de Oliveira. 1998. “Brazilian Entrepreneur: A Comparative Study”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 18 (3):381-404. https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-31571998-1057.

Brazilian entrepreneur: a comparative study

Sérgio de Oliveira Birchal
Professor-Visitante do Departamento de Economia da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais – UFMG, Belo Horizonte/MG, Brasil. Doutor em História Econômica pela London School of Economics, e Professor-Associado da Fundação Dom Cabral.
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 18 No. 3 (1998), Jul-Sep / 1998, Pages 381-404

Abstract

This work examines the debate about the Brazilian entrepreneur, aiming at challenging
the widely accepted vision that the Paulista and Carioca experiences, in what concerns
the formation of the entrepreneurial class, can be extended to other parts of Brazil.
The work compares the social background and the sources of capital of Mineiro, Paulista
and Carioca entrepreneurs in the XIXth century. The analysis reveals that Mineiro entrepreneurs
came from the local elite constituted basically by Brazilians and that the sources of
capital (mainly, agriculture and trade) used by Mineiro entrepreneurs were distinct in their
nature, with coffee and the import-export trade having a less relevant role.

JEL Classification: N86; N96.


Keywords: History of entrepreneurship economic history of Minas Gerais