"A detailed study of the development of the Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco (CHESF) which became the first mixed (private-state) enterprise in the energy sector. An entrepreneurial, market-oriented endeavor with minimal bureaucratic interference, CHESF not only served as a pioneer project, but also had an important social impact on the region. However, centralization of electrical power distribution and the increased emphasis on growth and profits, beginning in the 1960s, resulted in neglect of the social and natural environment"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.