Technicians and politicians in the early years of the BNDE[Técnicos e políticos nos primeiros anos do BNDE]

The increase in the number of public entities focusing on economic policy and intervention, which occurred during the 1950's, brought with it a shift in the administrative logic of the State, both in terms of recruitment – which would now privilege the selection of specialized professionals – and, in terms of the tasks attributed to new staff members, which were increasingly focused on preparing technical analyses to assist in the planning of economic activities. The National Bank for Economic Development (BNDE) was one of these institutions, which saw a consensus develop among its new specialists for the need for planning. This was, however, accompanied by a good deal of debate over the priorities and limitations of planning, and over the level of participation that the State and foreign capital should have in overall economic activity. During the 1950's, three leading employees of the BNDE, Roberto Campos, Celso Furtado and Ignácio Rangel offered up very distinct views of planning, which are now compared in this article in order to outline the different positions in relation to this subject that co-existed within the BNDE during its initial years.