Creating academic economics in Brazil: the Ford Foundation and the beginnings of ANPEC

Ramon Fernandez and Carlos Suprinyak

No 514, Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG from Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract: The 1960s saw the beginning of an effort to improve professional standards in Brazilian academia through cooperation with a few North American institutions, in the context of an important and controversial set of agreements between the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In the case of economics, the Ford Foundation was especially relevant, providing substantial funding for the creation of the first graduate programs in the field in Brazil. An important moment in this process took place in 1973 with the creation of ANPEC, an association of graduate programs in economics whose purpose was to organize and stimulate institutional interaction among its members. ANPEC is still today the most important association for academic economics in Brazil, exercising leadership through both its annual meetings and a national unified exam for admission in graduate programs in the field. The paper explores archival material from the period 1964-74 held at the Ford Foundation, which illuminates both the interaction between representatives of the Foundation and of different Brazilian academic institutions, and the strategy pursued by the former in order to develop the economics profession in the country. We thus seek to contribute to a better understanding of the conflicting motivations that lay behind the creation of ANPEC, and of the effects that the association would have on the emerging graduate programs in Brazil.

Keywords: ANPEC; Ford Foundation; USAID; FGV; IPE/USP (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A14 A23 B20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 pages
Date: 2015-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-his
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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https://www.cedeplar.ufmg.br/pesquisas/td/TD%20514.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: CREATING ACADEMIC ECONOMICS IN BRAZIL: THE FORD FOUNDATION AND THE BEGINNINGS OF ANPEC (2016)
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