Goiás: do vazio ao heterogêneo

Abstract

Recent reports indicate that technology is transforming the world into a “vast web of relationships” through which moves the “locomotive of development driven by innovation”. On the other hand, the topic of wealth concentration has exploded in public debate due to findings published in the book Capital in the twentieth century by Thomas Piketty, which offers evidence on the concentration of wealth, which, at its worst, can threaten the foundations of a democratic society on which rests the entire market system. The path of Brazilian society throughout the 20th century could be considered as a rather impressive case in social and economic transformations. In just a few decades, the country went from an agrarian and export economy, based on coffee and sugar, to an urban and industrial economy. A superficial reading of this transition may blur an obvious fact: the strong relationship with agriculture was never surpassed, neither in negative aspects – in which insufficient food production is responsible for inflation which causes social tensions, nor in positive aspects – for its contribution to occupying the national territory, creating jobs, generating foreign exchange, and consolidating important value chains. Goiás is an example of the changes that have taken place in Brazil: in the last three decades, in absolute numbers, it has improved its Human Development Index (HDI), and its economy has grown above the national average. These virtuous dynamics resulted from agriculture, industries and modern service providers, whose implementation was only possible due to the superstructure available in Goiás, which had been implemented as of the 1930s. Despite this success, Goiás’ prosperity did not help reduce inequalities in 246 municipalities throughout the state. In 2010, only 42 had high HDIs; while 131 had low HDIs. This reality is because some areas in Goiás “jumped on” the different “wagons” of agriculture, industry and services moved by “locomotives driven by innovation”, while others did not do the same. What factors determined the social and spatial landscape in Goiás? The main aim of this chapter is to consider some of the factors responsible for Goiás’ heterogeneity in order to help less advanced areas to also “jump on” the “locomotive of innovation”.