This essay argues that Adam Smith's thought should be interpreted within the intellectual context of the Scottish enlightenment. It discusses the origins and the specific nature of the enlightenment in Scotland in order to highlight the differences between the social theory of the Scottish...

This article explores why Smith's work is a turning point in the history of economic thought. The constitution of an economic discourse and the delimitation of the economy sphere are attributed to: i) the specific nature of Smith's moral philosophy; ii) his way of conceiving economic action as...

This article examines Adam Smith's Theory of moral sentiments. Taking as its point of departure the moral philosophy of the Scottish enlightenment, the paper presents the central argument of Smith's Theory. It analyses the concepts of "sympathy" and "impartial spectator" and points to the...

A new comprehension of Adam Smith's writings arose in the last years. These studies emphasized the political and ethical dimensions of his work and its connection with the eighteenth-century context. This article reviews the historical reception of Smith's works and discusses the recent...

Despite the lack of consensus on the appropriate concept of ‘social capital’, research in the area has continued even in the most criticized macroeconomic area. The investigation about the importance of social capital to generate differences in regional per capita income (per capita income...

This article aims at exploring the empirical evidence regarding the effects of increasing returns to scale and international technological diffusion on the Brazilian manufacturing industry. Our departure point is a Kaldorian-type theoretical model that provides not only the positive effects of...

This paper analyzes the growth effects of inflation targeting regimes in emerging market economies. In particular, it focuses on the case of three Latin American economies where the inflation targeting framework has been implemented, namely Brazil, Chile and Mexico. It is argued that not only...

This paper suggests a simulation model to investigate how science and technology fuel economic growth. This model is built upon a synthesis of technological capabilities represented by national innovation systems. This paper gathers data of papers and patents for 183 countries between 1999 and...