Exportações do Rio Grande do Norte: estrutura, vantagens comparativas e comércio intra-indústrial

The objective of the present paper is to examine the behavior and the structure of the export sector of the economy of Rio Grande do Norte from 1996 to 2006, and to identify the products of revealed comparative advantage. The paper also seeks to measure levels of export concentration of products and destination markets, types of trade, and export sectors that show strength. To achieve the objectives of the paper, the intra-industry indices of GRUBEL AND LLOYD (1975) and the indices of revealed comparative advantage of BALASSA (1965) e LAURSEN (1998) were used. The indexes of product concentration and export destination were obtained through the Gini-Hirchmna coefficient. The data was taken from the ALICEWEB system of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade – MDIC. The results revealed a high concentration of few primary products and destination markets, along with weak participation in the export of manufactured products. The study points out that the international trade of the State of Rio Grande do Norte is basically inter-industrial; that is, it exports primary products and imports manufactured products, characteristic of the Herckscher-Ohlin trade type. Among the group of products with intraindustrial trade, the cotton group stands out, showing the importance of the textile sector in the state’s economy.