Centers and influential areas: a proposal for the economic regionalization in the State of Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

The differences between regions in the state of Paraná have led to the production of many regional studies. These studies have usually been conducted considering the division of space established by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística - Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which is based on social and natural aspects as well as spatial organization. This study proposes a form of regionalization in strictly economic terms for the Paraná State, which enables consistency in the analyses, actions, measures and the use of instruments for economic policy suggested by regional planners and for use in business strategies. The regionalization has been planned through identifying the economic centers and the areas which have been polarized, and implemented through a gravity model. As a result, we may identify economic regions for Paraná, with different boundaries and characteristics from the regions established by the IBGE.

Keywords:
regional economy; regionalization economic; isolated enclave; polarization