PUBLIC ENTERPRISE, SLAVE LABOR, AND TECHNOLOGICAL LEARNING IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRAZILIAN IRON INDUSTRY

Early in the nineteenth century the Brazilian government supported the formation of three large iron works. Foreign technicians were recruited in order to implement techniques more advanced than those used among small local forges. While early on these public enterprises had some positive spillover effects, the development of indigenous technological capabilities made limited further progress during the century. While government support for the training of local personnel materialized only later, technological learning in the industry was negatively affected by the iron makers’ extensive reliance on slave labor trained on the job.