Fiscal and Urban Policies: the State as a Space Producer in the Fordist- Keynesian Era

The theoretical and historical discussion that this paper intends to establish involves the perception that each historical moment has a suitable spatial arrangement for economic growth, for driving-industries and for the dominant techno-economic paradigm in each period, and that such arrangements are articulated and promoted by State action. More clearly and specifically, this work shares the view of many authors who state that the metropolis would have been a combined product of Fordist industrialization and the performance of the Keynesian State, while the contemporary post-metropolitan urban form is marked by post-Fordist industry and the Neoliberal State. From this perspective, Brazilian economic history during the period between 1930-1980 is present in a way of exemplifying that kind of spatial-temporal relationship. Besides offering a critical analysis covering that historical period, the paper concludes with a wider view of International Political Economy, mentioning a number of “Neo-something” phenomena that emerged in this new Era of “Something-Isation”.