The THE CURRENT NORTHWEST FLUMINENSE REGION: A SPHINX TO BE DECIPHERED?

uma esfinge a ser decifrada?

Abstract

The space approached herein is frequently and widely presented as being the so-called region-problem par excellence in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Poor economic and social indicators corroborate this understanding. If not enough, as its population is small, this region has few votes and consequently few votes/political weight in federative disputes – both at state and federal level. However, it does not express flagrant social “asymmetries” – in fact, widely found in Brazilian society. Furthermore, the historical process of socioeconomic occupation has bequeathed a series of (small) economic activities that, in some way, sustain regional income and employment – some even with important relative weight in the state's economic scene. Therefore, despite the many negative aspects, it is argued that, given the endogenous incapacity of its internal forces to catapult its development per se, due institutional support from “higher” scales is necessary so that this region can face the historical limbo in which it historically finds itself. It is also argued, in conclusion, that this region could even become a paradigmatic case of regional development, based on small-scale enterprises and on overcoming the aforementioned social disparities that define and structure Brazilian society.