This paper examines the post-War industrialization process in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, focusing on one of its desirable outcomes, namely the capacity to generate growth through the impact of strong input-output linkages. This process is placed into historical perspective considering the ideas that permeate the economic development debate throughout the period of analysis. Changes in the regional economic structure are assessed through the use of three input-output tables for the years of 1953, 1980 and 1995. By adopting the fields of influence methodology as the analytical core, it is shown that the efforts towards the creation of a more integrated regional economy have generated stronger influence of the targeted sectors (metal products, transportation equipment, chemical, and services). However, structural changes also contributed to strengthen leakage in the system originated in traditional economic activities.

RESUMO Este artigo examina a teoria do capital de Turgot. Chama a atenção por seu procedimento metodológico ao extrair primeiro o próprio conceito de capital da análise da circulação, para depois investigar seus possíveis empregos, entre eles o de atuar como avanços na produção. Ao fazer isso, Turgot transforma em resultado lógico o que era uma mera suposição da análise fisiocrática, a saber, a existência de uma classe de empreendedores como proprietários da quantidade necessária de recursos para continuar a produção.

ABSTRACT This article examines Turgot’s capital theory. It calls attention for his methodological procedure in deriving first the very concept of capital out of the analysis of circulation, for then to inquire on its possible employments, among them that of acting as advances in production. In doing so, Turgot changes into a logical result what was a mere supposition of the physiocratic analysis, namely, the existence of a class of entrepreneurs as the owners of required amount of resources for carrying on production.