João Carlos Graça

The Liberal State, Economic Development and the Crisis of the 1890s: Joao Crisóstomo and José Frederico Laranjo

Founded in 1876, the Portuguese Progressive Party sought to serve as an alternative political formation to the then ruling Regenerator Party. Whilst fairly unanimous in its critique of the so-called ‘material improvements’ policy, the party did not, however, produce any coherent economic option. Although generally in favour of budgetary ‘economies’, in line with prevailing nineteenth-century liberal thinking, the Progressives have not reached full internal agreement on this matter, even less so as regards the issue of protectionism versus free-trade. This paper describes the huge diversity of ideas within the party, as exemplified by the cases of Joao Crisostomo and Jose Frederico Laranjo.

Effects of Economic Education on Social and Political Values, Beliefs and Attitudes: Results from a Survey in Portugal☆

Abstract The purpose of our work is to inquire whether or not economics studying has a relevant effect on the social process of molding values, beliefs and attitudes, a crucial element of the trust-building process in democratic societies. According to what was argued by several authors, mainstream economics, based on the model of self-interest, corresponding to rational, maximizing, individualistic representative agents, tends to produce relevant indoctrinating effects, creating or reinforcing both political conservatism and selfishness among students. In this paper a contribution for these discussions is made, based on the results of a survey performed in Portugal, referring to a considerable diversity of samples (economics students, other students and ordinary citizens of both rural and urban milieus) and being applied in three different years: 2006, 2009 and 2012.