process known today as globalization and raises questions about issues we experience today: 1) The myth of economic development versus the need for natural resources for economic processes: it is mistaken to think that economic development and its benefits will some day reach everyone in the world if the model of economic development does not change. For instance, there are not sufficient natural resources available for everyone in the world if we take as a benchmark the economic model on which the economy was based in the 1970s and is also based currently, i.e. the model where consumerism and individualism are the basis for corporate actions. For instance, if everybody could afford to buy a car, our cities would be completely gridlocked. Furtado's critique of the myths of economic development was based on a report of the Club of Rome, which is summarized in Abstract of The limits to Growth: a report to The Club of Rome; 2) On poverty: in countries that have no "central" economies (countries that are not the base for giant corporations), at most 10% of population could reach the level of wealth achieved by people in the richest countries. Peripheral economies, which would not create an independent and more complete economy, would remain poor and experience growing disparities between their poor and their rich inhabitants; 3) On the world economic superstructure: The world superstructure of the capitalist economy (mainly IMF and GATT, which gave rise to the WTO (World Trade Organization) would, on the one hand, increase control over the world economy, also increasing freedom for capital flows and for the actions of big corporations, while, on the other hand, it would reduce the number of possible choices available for governments, mainly for poor country's governments. This is the kind of development that has been taking place for the last 30 years. References Works "The economic formation of Brazil", in Portuguese External links Obituary from The Guardian The International Celso Furtado Center for Development Policies Celso Furtado in História do pensamento econômico Global Capitalism (1998) translation Centro Internacional Celso Furtado 1920 births 2004 deaths Brazilian economists Ministers of Culture of Brazil Ambassadors of Brazil to the European Economic Community Development economists Dependency theorists Brazilian military personnel of World War II People from Paraíba Federal University of Rio de Janeiro alumni University of Paris alumni Sudene personnel Brazilian expatriates in Italy Brazilian expatriates in France