Technological Capacity and Catching Up

Vol. 26 No. 1 (2006)

Jan-Mar / 2006
Published March 27, 2020
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))

How to Cite

Lemos, Mauro Borges, Bruno Campos, Elenice Biazi, and Fabiana Santos. 2006. “Technological Capacity and Catching Up: The Case of the Brazilian Emerging Metropolitan Areas”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 26 (1):95-118. https://centrodeeconomiapolitica.org.br/repojs/index.php/journal/article/view/592.

Technological Capacity and Catching Up

the case of the Brazilian emerging metropolitan areas

Mauro Borges Lemos
Professor do Departamento de Ciências Econômicas/Cedeplar da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,
Bruno Campos
Pesquisador/consultor em Economia
Elenice Biazi
Professora do Centro Superior de Educação Tecnológica - CEFET/MG
Fabiana Santos
Coordenadora Executiva do Parque Tecnológico de Belo Horizonte (BH-TEC)
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 26 No. 1 (2006), Jan-Mar / 2006, Pages 95-118

Abstract

Since the 1970’s the loss of industrial output share of Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area relative to Brazil’s industrial output has been explained by a process of “reversal polarization”. This article aims to analyze the catching up effect of variables of productive efficiency, such as technological capacity and labor force skill. The main point is to analyze if the behavior of these variables favored or reduced desagglomeration of Sao Paulo city and the resulting agglomeration effect on Brazilian emerging metropolitan areas. Utilizing the Household Sample Survey (PNAD) of the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE) we will test if there has been technological catching up between São Paulo (defined as the frontier) and second-tier metropolis of southern Brazil (Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Porto Alegre). A set of panel data tests the importance of the variables referred to on spatial distribution of Brazilian industry.

JEL Classification: O; O18.


Keywords: technology catching up metropolitan areas Brazil