Abstract

A Third Path delves into the pivotal yet understudied corporatist experiments of Brazil and Portugal during the 1930s. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, these nations sought a “third path” between laissez-faire capitalism and communism, expanding government powers to regulate labour and production by integrating economic and social groups into the state. Teixeira examines how the dictatorships of Getúlio Vargas in Brazil and António de Oliveira Salazar in the Portuguese Empire dismantled liberal democratic institutions, defending their authoritarian tactics as necessary for economic recovery and social peace. By tracing the movement of people and ideas across the South Atlantic, she vividly illustrates how these often-overlooked countries became major centres for policy experimentation. Despite being frequently dismissed as failures, Teixeira argues that the corporatist ideas and institutions tested in the 1930s and 1940s laid the groundwork for modern economic planning. This book offers new insights into how these early experiments continue to shape how governments regulate labour and market relations today.