Luso-Brazilian economic thinking in the light of economic liberalism: Brazil-Portugal relations and José da Silva Lisboa's critique of the crisis of the colonial system

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the economic thought of José da Silva Lisboa, the Viscount of Cairu (1756-1835), who was considered one of the main critics of the Portuguese colonial system and one of the formulators of the economic policy of King João VI in Brazil. The methodological procedure included: investigation of the major works of this author, published between 1800 and 1810, considering the main proposals and theoretical influences upon him in
his endeavor to rebuild the relations between Portugal and Brazil. Furthermore, we sought to identify the influences upon him from the dominant European trends and authors, such as the mercantilists, the French physiocrats, and the liberal thought of the eighteenth century. The analysis revealed that the economic thought of the Viscount of Cairu shows him to be a man of his time, utilizing contemporary thought in order to reformulate the relations between the
Portuguese metropolis and its colony in America.