Analysis of the inequalities between the COREDES in the period from 1990 to 2003: origin and evolution

Abstract

This article studies the inter-regional inequalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul between 1990 and 2000. In the analysis the state was subdivided in twenty-two “COREDES” (Regional Development Councils). The inequalities were assessed on the basis of the relative share of each area in the whole and through the Gini index, as well as on the economic variables GNP, GNP per capita and industrial GNP. The theory of Accumulative Circular Causation of Myrdal was used to guide the analysis. The history of the territorial occupation is taken into account because the origin of the inequalities may be linked to the form in which the colonization process took place in the areas under discussion, since the industrial pole is located in the area where the colonization of European influence began. The analysis found that the metropolitan “COREDES” of the Metropolitan Area of Porto Alegre, the Mountain Range (“Serra”) and the Sinos River Valley are part of the more industrialized area located in the state’s Northeast and has half of the income and population.

Key words: Regional inequalities, territorial occupation, Gini index, “COREDES.”