This thesis uses the recent Bayer-Monsanto acquisition in order to examine historical and contemporary power dynamics found throughout industrial agriculture. With the theoretical aid of Karl Polanyi and Michel Foucault, I examine how the Bayer-Monsanto acquisition is a viable site in order to reflect the interconnectedness of political and economic forces that organize societies and markets across the globe. I briefly introduce the merger-turned-acquisition between these two former 'Big 6' firms that dominated international agricultural input markets. Questions are asked such as how has the history of agriculture led to its current organization, how have these particular firms garnered such market power, and what power structures or historical economic incentives have contributed to the acquisition's manifestation? In order to address these questions I engage in an economic-historical analysis of industrial agriculture, particularly focusing on the role of the U.S. state in drafting agrarian legislation, spreading knowledge regarding production processes, and promoting particular food products to be patented, grown, and consumed across the world. Through an examination of the acquisition itself, potential economic, environmental, and political implications are presented to analyze whether historically visible strategies have appeared to evolve to become invisible overtime. Although the result of this acquisition does involve few firms governing almost entire markets, I contend that there is more at stake than simply few firms monopolizing agriculture. The Bayer-Monsanto acquisition has economic, environmental, and political implications on a host of actors, and it forces us to question the legitimacy of democratic governmental institutions across the world and where power is situated within them. / Master of Arts / Mergers and acquisitions are by no means an emerging trend throughout agricultural markets; however, Bayer’s $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto is a recent development that has garnered attention from politicians, farmers, environmentalists, and public consumers alike. In this thesis I examine how the Bayer-Monsanto acquisition is a viable site in order to show how political and market logics are constantly entangled with one another. I first briefly introduce the mergerturned-acquisition between these two former ‘Big 6’ firms that dominated international agricultural input markets. I then ask how has the history of agriculture led to its current organization, how have these particular firms garnered such market power, and what power structures or historical economic incentives have contributed to the acquisition’s manifestation? After contextualizing the acquisition within a history of legislating land policy, spreading knowledge regarding production processes, and promoting the consumption of particular food products across the world, I present various economic, environmental, and political implications of the acquisition. Although the result of this acquisition does involve few firms with centralized market share, I contend that there is more at stake than simply monopolistic practices. An analysis of the Bayer-Monsanto acquisition reflects why we should question the quality and legitimacy of political institutions across the world, and ask where power lies within them.

Setting out from the works of Max Weber and Karl Polanyi, this chapter outlines a sociology of economic constitutionalism. The starting point is a functional definition of economic constitution as the law constituting the market order, no matter if it is public or private, national or international, official or informal law. Economic constitutionalism is understood as a system of thought, which emphasises the role of a liberal economic constitution in integrating the global economy. Adapting Weber's ideal-typical method, the economic constitution is conceived as a constitutional ideal type, next to juridical constitution, political constitution, social constitution, and security constitution. Sociologically speaking, these ideal types capture different constitutional rationalities, which are all culturally significant but not equally successful in the global age. Drawing on Polanyi's work, which exposes the self-regulating market as an artefact of economic thinking, the argument proceeds by highlighting the constitutive role of economics in constructing the law of the globalised market society. After economic law came to be embedded in national welfare states in the twentieth century, economic constitutionalism furthers the opening up of national laws and economies. In contrast to the rule of law, the rule of the market is inherently transnational in character.

Este trabalho busca refletir sobre as aproximações e afastamentos entre as políticas que se utilizam de projetos urbanos e as de desenvolvimento local. Para isto debate os conceitos de desenvolvimento local extraindo seus elementos definidores para serem utilizados como categorias de análise dos estudos de caso selecionados. O conceito de projeto urbano também foi objeto de discussão, destacando sua faceta de instrumento de gestão e o princípio de apoiar o desenvolvimento de segmentos da cidade de modo amplo, promovendo melhorias físicas, econômicas e sociais. Foram selecionados seis estudos de caso, bastante diversos entre si, com o propósito de discutir a amplitude da prática dos projetos urbanos, suas aderências ou não com o desenvolvimento local e as contradições entre a teoria e a prática. Foram selecionados o Puerto Madero e o Distrito de Design em Buenos Aires, na Argentina; o Complexo Estação das Docas e o Complexo Ver-o-Peso em Belém, capital do Pará; o projeto Eixo Tamanduatehy em Santo André-SP; e o projeto Centro Vivo em São José dos Campos-SP. Este último possibilitou a reflexão sobre a prática da intervenção urbana, uma vez que a autora participou de sua elaboração, enquanto os demais propiciaram uma reflexão a partir da análise feita por outros autores sobre os projetos. Ao final do estudo é possível esboçar a ideia de que o projeto urbano, dependendo das características que assume, pode ser um exemplo territorializado de desenvolvimento local. / This work aims for a reflection about the correspondences and dissimilarities between the policies that utilize urban projects and those of local development. In order to do that, it debates the local development concepts and extracts its key defining elements so these can serve as categories of analysis for selected case studies. The concept of urban project is also an object of discussion, specially its role as a management means to support the development of segment of a city in an ample way, thus promoting spatial, economical and social improvements. Six diverse case studies were selected with the goal of discussing the amplitude of the practice of urban projects, its similarities or not with local development and the contradictions between theory and practice. The selected case studies were Puerto Madero and the Distrito de Design in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Complexo Estação das Docas and the Complexo Ver-o-Peso in Belém, capital of Pará (a state in Brazil); the project Eixo Tamanduatehy in Santo André, a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil; the project Centro Vivo in São José dos Campos also a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The latter case allowed a reflection about the practice of urban intervention from the perspective of the author who participated in its elaboration. The other five case studies supported a reflection based on the analyses performed by other authors. At the end of this study, it is possible to outline the idea that the urban project, depending on the characteristics that it assumes, can be a territorialized example of local development.

Este trabalho busca refletir sobre as aproximações e afastamentos entre as políticas que se utilizam de projetos urbanos e as de desenvolvimento local. Para isto debate os conceitos de desenvolvimento local extraindo seus elementos definidores para serem utilizados como categorias de análise dos estudos de caso selecionados. O conceito de projeto urbano também foi objeto de discussão, destacando sua faceta de instrumento de gestão e o princípio de apoiar o desenvolvimento de segmentos da cidade de modo amplo, promovendo melhorias físicas, econômicas e sociais. Foram selecionados seis estudos de caso, bastante diversos entre si, com o propósito de discutir a amplitude da prática dos projetos urbanos, suas aderências ou não com o desenvolvimento local e as contradições entre a teoria e a prática. Foram selecionados o Puerto Madero e o Distrito de Design em Buenos Aires, na Argentina; o Complexo Estação das Docas e o Complexo Ver-o-Peso em Belém, capital do Pará; o projeto Eixo Tamanduatehy em Santo André-SP; e o projeto Centro Vivo em São José dos Campos-SP. Este último possibilitou a reflexão sobre a prática da intervenção urbana, uma vez que a autora participou de sua elaboração, enquanto os demais propiciaram uma reflexão a partir da análise feita por outros autores sobre os projetos. Ao final do estudo é possível esboçar a ideia de que o projeto urbano, dependendo das características que assume, pode ser um exemplo territorializado de desenvolvimento local. / This work aims for a reflection about the correspondences and dissimilarities between the policies that utilize urban projects and those of local development. In order to do that, it debates the local development concepts and extracts its key defining elements so these can serve as categories of analysis for selected case studies. The concept of urban project is also an object of discussion, specially its role as a management means to support the development of segment of a city in an ample way, thus promoting spatial, economical and social improvements. Six diverse case studies were selected with the goal of discussing the amplitude of the practice of urban projects, its similarities or not with local development and the contradictions between theory and practice. The selected case studies were Puerto Madero and the Distrito de Design in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Complexo Estação das Docas and the Complexo Ver-o-Peso in Belém, capital of Pará (a state in Brazil); the project Eixo Tamanduatehy in Santo André, a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil; the project Centro Vivo in São José dos Campos also a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The latter case allowed a reflection about the practice of urban intervention from the perspective of the author who participated in its elaboration. The other five case studies supported a reflection based on the analyses performed by other authors. At the end of this study, it is possible to outline the idea that the urban project, depending on the characteristics that it assumes, can be a territorialized example of local development.