The legacy of Celso Furtado

Abstract

This essay reviews Celso Furtado’s intellectual legacy, highlighting his enormous
importance for economic thought. It adopts the method of comparing Furtado to another
great Brazilian economist, Mário Henrique Simonsen, emphasizing the superiority of the
former over the latter in several essential aspects. It also discusses the relation of Furtado to
Keynes and the Keynesian economic tradition, on the one hand, and to Marx and Marxism,
on the other. It highlights, in conclusion, his links to nationalism and romanticism, expressed
in his attachment to Brazil.

JEL Classification: A0; B5, C0; E0; F0, N0; P5.