Portugal adoption of the gold standard : political reasons for a monetary choice (1846-1854)

This article analyses the transition from bimetallism to the gold standard in Portugal. The research has emphasised that the high percentage of gold coins in circulation and the network externalities were the main reasons for the de jure adoption of the gold standard in 1854. However, it has not provided a justification for either the appreciation of gold in the Portuguese market in 1847 which was contrary to the international trend or the reasons behind the decision to continue to circulate British gold sovereigns in 1851 when all other foreign coins were withdrawn. We argue that the political pressure applied by groups with ownership of British gold coins explains the transition from bimetallism to the gold standard.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The monetary system of the Luso-Brazilian Empire: the changing role of the ‘provincial’ : currency in the 17th and 18th centuries

In this research we try to explain the dual character of the monetary system of the Luso-Brazilian Empire brought about by the introduction of a parallel, or complementary, currency in Brazil by the end of the XVII century. The simultaneous circulation of ‘provincial’ and ‘national’ coins can explain why these units of exchange did not act as both store and standard of value. Money had not only a hierarchy character according the value of payments (gold, silver and copper) but also the mint policy varied in the different areas of circulation. This implied that not all these coins were hoarded or obtained the same status on international market. Nevertheless, since the 17th century we have an evolution that we need to recognize and understand. This implied that ‘provincial’ money as a concept had an evolution and other attributes to make this money broadly acceptable as units of exchange. Which are the convergence of mechanisms that explain the emergence and consolidation of a money economy in the Portuguese Empire? We will analyse the monetary relations between Brazil and Portugal and the time span is since the 17th century until the 19th century.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel Cryopreservation Strategies for Cell‐Therapies and Pre‐Clinical Research

The expanding need for complex biologics for therapeutic applications, in‐vitro pharmacology and toxicology studies and fundamental research demands the production of banks of well‐characterized and safety‐tested stocks of a large number of cell/tissue samples. This implies the development of effective cryopreservation methodologies that can cope with process scalability and automation and must reflect the biological and physical properties of the cells as these can be significantly altered by the process

Budgetary restrictions and ethical behaviours in a hospital context : evidence from general surgeons

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how budgetary constraints can have ethical implications on patient treatment options. Design/methodology/approach – By applying a qualitative methodological approach (interviews) and participant observation, this paper studies the behaviour of surgeons in scenarios of financial restriction. Findings – The empirical findings show that despite the conflict between the economy and the leges artis, surgeons maintain the ethical and deontological principles of their profession with fair rules of orientation. Practical implications – The importance of this study can be realised by its continuity. One of the authors is already implicated on a wider research to investigate the influence of the economic scarcity of resources on general surgeons’ ethical behaviours. Social implications – This paper is a contribution to understanding the rules that restrain the activities of surgeons. Politicians sometimes do not have a full understanding of the pressures that the medical profession faces in their day-to-day activities. Currently, with the addition of problems relate to COVID-19, politicians and populations seem to better understand the importance of the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS), This paper hopes that this understanding will be not only a conjectural moment. Originality/value – In conjunction with the economic recession that began in the first decade of this century, health institutions have long faced budgetary constraints that condition their material and human resources and correspondingly shape the scope of health professional activities. Until now, it has not been studied the impact of economic crises on the ethical behaviour of Portuguese surgeons. Therefore, this research is a first step and a useful contribution to understanding the rules that can restrain (or not) the ethical conduct of these health professionals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Production, Supply and Circulation of 'National' Gold Coins in Brazil (1720-1807)

Based on the hypotheses that Brazil was not merely an economy that exported precious metals and that there was a relative expansion of the domestic market, in this paper we assess the production, supply and circulation of ʻnationalʼ gold coins in Brazil in the 18th century. New estimates are provided of the production of these gold coins at the mints of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Minas Gerais. Comparing the values of the coinage with remittances to Lisbon, the first half of the 18th century reveals a more stable conjuncture than was found in the second half. This latter period shows fluctuations that were expressed in the faster growth of the supply despite the fall that took place in the production/coinage of gold. Our conclusions question the historiographical theses about the shortage of currency in Brazil throughout the 18th century. The growth of the economy from the last quarter of the century onwards implied an increase in the demand for money, which it proved possible to meet through the production of ʻnationalʼ gold coins.Financial support of CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil. - BES Proc. nº 1670/14-0

A unificação monetária de Portugal (Continente e Ilhas)

O artigo analisa a unificação monetária de Portugal (Continente e Ilhas) concretizada entre 1879 (Madeira) e 1931 (Açores). Num primeiro momento, analisa-se o quadro monetário das ilhas, onde dominava na circulação a moeda estrangeira e a moeda insulana ou moeda fraca, enquanto moeda com ágio em relação à moeda continental. A fraca integração do espaço económico insular com o espaço económico continental justificará estas características. As propostas de integração monetária apresentadas no século XIX serão analisadas num segundo momento. Portugal confrontou-se com conflitos de interesses na unificação do sistema monetário com o espaço insular. Um longo século mediou entre a alteração do estatuto administrativo e a integração monetária portuguesa. Mas, Madeira e Açores também tiveram percursos diferentes. Se no primeiro dos espaços insulares a oposição às propostas de integração não se fizeram sentir, nos Açores os ecos da oposição no parlamento adiaram a integração para 1931. Compreender os interesses que protelaram a união monetária será um dos objectivos deste artigo, o que corresponde a explicar porque data de 1931 a integração monetária de Portugal

Alterações das práticas contabilísticas na Casa da Moeda de Lisboa no Séc. XVIII

Em Portugal, tal como em Castela, as necessidades financeiras do Estado justificaram a introdução de inovações contabilísticas, apesar de haver desfasamentos temporais na difusão destas inovações pelos diversos organismos públicos. A Casa da Moeda de Lisboa, propriedade régia, alterou também as suas práticas contabilísticas, embora a transição do método das partidas simples para o das partidas dobradas se tivesse realizado de forma relativamente lenta. O artigo encontra-se estruturado em duas partes. Numa primeira questiona-se de forma breve a aplicação da contabilidade por partidas dobradas na esfera pública e na esfera privada. Na segunda parte, estudam-se as principais características da organização contabilística espelhada nos Livros de Tesoureiro, existentes no Arquivo da Casa da Moeda de Lisboa. Demonstra-se que a necessidade de centralização e supervisão sobre as receitas arrecadadas moldou as características da contabilidade aplicada a partir de 1773.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Moeda e estado: políticas monetárias e determinantes da procura (1688-1797)

O Estado desempenha, em relação à moeda, um duplo papel. Por um lado, define a política monetária e, simultaneamente é um dos agentes de procura de moeda, influenciando dessa forma os níveis de emissão monetária. Acompanhar a acção do Estado nesta dupla função é o nosso objectivo neste trabalho. Em primeiro lugar, analisaremos o tipo de políticas monetárias adoptadas pelo Estado. O objectivo essencial é compreender até que ponto a lei de D. Pedro II de 4 de Agosto de 1688 representa uma viragem em relação às políticas implementadas em períodos anteriores. Nesse sentido recuaremos na nossa análise até meados do século XIV, para melhor contextualizar o significado do longo período de estabilidade legal vivido no século XVIII. Em segundo lugar, e sendo o Estado um dos agentes definidores dos níveis de emissão monetária, importa determinar quais as variáveis explicativas da componente pública dessas emissões. Numa época em que a guerra, a justiça e a Corte eram as áreas com maior peso na absorção dos recursos públicos, analisaremos a importância relativa destes diversos campos para o Estado português durante a centúria de SetecentosAs far as money is concerned the state action has a double purpose. The state defines the monetary policy and is also one of the agents of the demand for money, influencing the level of monetary emission. The purpose of this paper is to understand this double state function. Firstly, the monetary policies will be analysed. The main aim is to understand if king Pedro II's law of the 4th of August 1688 represents a turning point comparing with the policies implemented in previous periods. Our analysis will be developed from the middle of the14th century to acknowledge the full meaning of the long term legal monetary stability apparent in the 18th century. The determination of the expnainig variables of the monetary emissions under public control will be in the core of the second section. On a period where the war, the justice and the Court were the principal areas of public expenditures, we will assess the relative importance of these different fields of state action during the 18th century