Brazilian medium-sized cities and their Convergence of growth and socioeconomic development

Abstract

This article analyzes the convergence of economic growth and development of medium-sized Brazilian cities between 2005 and 2017. In the convergence process, cities tend to flock to the same level of income and living standards, which implies a process that can be positive or negative. The methodology used was the one with convergence averages using the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita total and sector and data from the FIRJAN Municipal Development Index (IFDM). The results showed that the economic sector with the greatest convergence was the tertiary sector. The sector in which there was the greatest divergence was agriculture. In the area of socioeconomic development, the greatest convergence among medium-sized cities was the health dimension. The employment, income and education dimensions are still divergent.

Keywords:
Medium cities; Urban development; Sector convergence; Economic Growth