Economic History of Portugal (2 º Sem 2018/2019)

Dear Students 

Thank you for choosing this course in the economic history of Portugal.

We introduce you to a broader view of Portugal's history and to the place this country has had within the European Union. The main issue addressed in this course is the divergent paths to modernization. History matters to understand economic development, and we take Portugal as an illustrative case study. Portugal got a leading role in the world economy in the 16th century and until late in the 18th century the country did not fall behind the leading northwestern economies (Britain or The Netherlands). Thus, the 19 ^th century appears as a critical moment in European as well as in the world history, while the 20 ^th century shows up as a time of opportunity to recover.  During the course, we will grasp these last two centuries in more detail, but this will not overlook the fact that some severe constraints revealed in the process of structural change that attends modern economic growth may well date back to medieval times!

The course syllabus will be posted during January 2019. Please note we can adopt an assessment based on the discussion in class of 5 seminal articles, which are main readings to the final test and exam.

See you soon.

Leonor Freire Costa