TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN? LIBERAL-CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGIES IN IPES’ LETTERS

Resumo

The present study aims at comprehending the role of business elites in society through the analysis of the IPES. The Institute founded in the early 1960’s was devoted to organizing and spreading ideologies favoring liberal markets and opposing any communist values in society. In this research we will use the letters exchanged between the IPES and many parties to find out what those communications show us about some pre-designed categories: IPES’ self-definition; definition by third parties; the role of labor in society; the role of business people in society; relationship with governments; core themes (agrarian and land reform, labor laws, electoral laws, etc.); IPES’ relationship with foreign governments and agents. Those letters are a portion of a larger archive comprehending many of the documents produced by the Institute. They are archived at the Arquivo Nacional (Nataional Archives) in Rio de Janeiro and were digitalized by requisition of the National Truth Commission. With this research, we hope to take the first step to advance the way the relationship between business and societies takes place.