Um Exame dos Padrões de Crescimento das Cidades Brasileiras

The share of urban population in Brazil has increased from 58 to 80 percent between1970 and 2000 and all net population growth over the next thirty years is predictedto be in cities. This paper explores population growth and its implications foreconomic dynamics and income generation among 123 urban agglomerations. Incomesare higher in larger agglomerations and in the South, but there is some indication ofregional convergence with higher rates of income growth in poorer areas. In particular,agglomerations in the North and Central-West are growing faster than the moreestablished urban centers in the South. Economic dynamics point to a process ofincreased diversification among larger cities, and greater specialization among mediumsized agglomerations. In bigger centers there is a trend towards deconcentrationtowards the periphery. We close by providing a simple analysis of correlates of laborsupply, as measured by population growth, and economic productivity, which isproxied by changes in per capita income.