Rodrigo Simões

Metodologia de identificação de aglomerações produtivas locais

The literature on industrial and regional economics is full of cases studies of local productive agglomerations. A significant part of the empirical studies on this subject have concentrated on the analysis of existing productive agglomerations. In contrast, there are few studies that attempt (or are able) to identify the startup of these agglomerations. From the perspective of development policies, this gap is relevant, as it leads to favoring established agglomerations to the detriment of those that are in the early stages. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methodologies that enable us to overcome this deficiency. This is the aim of this paper. The authors propose a methodology for the identification of potential local productive agglomerations based on secondary data. Through the use of the Principal Component Analysis technique, a Concentration Index is elaborated, which is an indication of the potential of an industrial sector, in a specific region, to become a local productive agglomeration.

Urban Attributes and Wage Disparities in Brazil: A Multilevel Hierarchical Model

Fontes G. G., Simões R. F. and Hermeto Camilo de Oliveira A. M. Urban attributes and wage disparities in Brazil: a multilevel hierarchical model, Regional Studies. This paper examines the effects of urban scale and productive structure on individual wage levels in Brazilian cities and metropolitan areas in 1990 and 2000. The estimation through hierarchical linear models enabled the inclusion of variables in different levels (individual and urban) and the decomposition of total wage variance. The results showed significant and huge wage disparities among workers who share similar personal attributes but live in different regions of the country. In addition, the disparities persisted from 1990 to 2000. Finally, the results provided evidence that local economic and labour market factors played an important role in wage determination.

Oportunidades tecnológicas e produção científica: uma análise microrregional para o Brasil

This paper presents the results of a preliminary research about scientific and industrial activities location in Brazil, using multivariate analysis (cluste...

Desenvolvimento regional, hierarquia urbana e condição de migração individual no Brasil entre 1980 e 2010

The level of regional development is affected by the migration process, and the subsequent migration flows are affected by the growth rates of the localities in a process of circular and cumulative causation. The aim of this paper is to identify the contribution of urban hierarchy to the individual decision to migrate in Brazil between 1980 and 2010. To achieve this goal, we analyze data from demographic census for the period, provided by ibge. Data analysis shows that migration patterns in Brazil are extremely related with the levels of urban development. Moreover, individual migration is associated with the advantages of urban centers, especially if they are located in medium sized cities. New trends begin to emerge and are related to the economic expansion of new destiny regions, with the decline of job opportunities in the most developed region of the country, and with return migration.

Housing market analysis using a hierarchical–spatial approach: the case of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The paper analyzes the determinants of apartments’ prices in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, with the use of hierarchical models, spatial models and a hierarchical-spatial approach. Besides the apartments’ characteristics, such as area, age and building standard, prices were determined by local urban amenities. The hierarchical models indicated that local variables, such as urban violence, infrastructure and services, explained over 75% of prices’ remaining variability. The spatial models analyzed if, after controlling for price variability with the explanatory variables in the second level of the hierarchical models, spatial correlations still existed in price determination. The positive and significant spatial coefficient in spatial autoregressive models (SAR) indicated spatial dependency. The hierarchical-spatial approach showed that over 70% of apartment prices’ remaining variability could be explained by local variables and that the lagged urban services variable explained another 12% of this variability.

Espaço, cidades e escalas territoriais: novas implicações de políticas de desenvolvimento regional

The role of space in the socioeconomic development process is a complex area of study. Theorists of the French School of Urban Sociology developed a number of studies in this area in order to clarify the interactions between the spatial forms and the social processes. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main arguments of these theories, the importance of cities in this process, and recommend development policies which arise thereafter. The analysis suggests that territorial scales become central to the dynamics of national economies. Because of this, they are important as policy objects: interventionist measures should be combined in different territorial scales. This will contribute to an integrated socioeconomic process.