Industrialização, urbanização e a persistência das desigualdades regionais do Brasil

Abstract

This work offers an analytic table of reference to explanation on changes which are occurring in the inter-regional relationships, as consequence of the advance in the industrialization-urbanization process in Brazil.

The study developed is supported on the analysis of a set of variants referring to a population and economic activities, with emphasis in the industrial sector, comprising a period of 1940-70.

In the first part it was examined the changes in the regional distribution of the total population and of the urban population of Brazil, pointing out that the redistribution of population on the macroregions has stressed all along, chiefly through the internal migratory currents. As the industrialization, instead of imports, became dynamic force, the Southeast position is stead out, which put attraction on great number of migrants. In spite of the changes occurred, the regional distribution of the urban population has kept relatively stable, as to say the urbanization took place in everywhere. Nevertheless, considering urbanization according to a criterion of towns of 20,000 inhabitants and more, only the Southeast is effectively urbanized in 1970.

It follows observations as for the changes in the spatial distribution of income, that constitutes an indicator of strong association between the industrialization-urbanization process and the increasing regional disparity. The regional concentrations degree is much less pronounced in terms of agricultural sector, the opposite occurring in relation to industry. The labor force distribution reveals regional variations equally. Although all the regions have transferred laborers from the agricultural sector to the two urban sectors in Southeast, the industry has almost doubled its participation. These results, along with other indicators, show that under the influence of the industrialization process gave shape to a center-periphery model through the industrial concentration in Southeast.

Following, is analyzed the regional distribution of the industrial production and employment, as well as the role that could have the composition of industrial, technological level and of establishment scale in the income differentials of the regions. It is shown that the industrial increase is characterized by a pronounced degree of concentration in the Center-South, specially in São Paulo. Both in Southeast and South the dynamic sector have improved its relative position, much more as for the added value than in the employment, while in Northeast these industries still hold a relatively small fraction in the regional structure. Most of the Southeast industry the technology employed was more "intensive-capital" than the observed in Northeast, A tendency to diminish the dimension of the middle establishment in the country is observed. This can be related to the urbanization in the measure that in the towns the small establishments has multiplied, chiefly the so called "urban industries".

An inquiry in the sector services complete the explanation on the role of urban economies in each region. While in Northeast the tertiary sector have had its growth na:rrowly related to the services rendered by the government and became the tool through which some redistribution of income has occurred; in Southeast the same sector has followed the process of industrialization and urbanization.

The results achieved has shown that Brazil, following a determined model of socioeconomic growth, has spatially built a structure according to the model nucleus-periphery. The industrialization process has stressed the regional inequalities, favoring the nucleus in terms of income, and creating thus a deep difference between the new periphery regions and those of the traditional Northeast.