TD NEREUS 03-2016
Carlos R. Azzoni, Gisalda C. Filgueiras, Joaquim J.M. Guilhoto and Carlos A. Gonçalves Jr
This study analyzes the insertion of the metropolitan economies of Belém and Manaus in the economic system of Brazil with an inter-regional input-output (I-O) model. They are the capital cities of the states of Pará and Amazonas in the detached Amazon region. Their size is 3.2 million inhabitants and they have experienced rapid growth in the last decades. The state of Pará exports minerals and forestry products. The state of Amazonas is a major importer of manufacturing parts from abroad, which are assembled into final goods sold to other Brazilian regions. Manaus metro hosts a free import zone and an industrial pole established in the 1960s. We compare the economic structures of these areas in terms of production, value added, and employment, and how the regions trade with other Brazilian regions. We show that their productive structures and their insertion in the Brazilian economic system are quite different: the interaction of Belém with other areas within the state of Pará is more intense than that of Manaus to the other areas of the state of Amazonas. In spite of the similarities between these two metropolitan areas, there are important differences in their productive structure and in how they interact with other regions in the country.