The creation of export processing zones (EPZ) in Brazil and the role of general conditions of production (GCP)

Abstract

This article analyzes the creation of EPZ in Brazil considering the importance of general conditions of production (GCP) and the interests of regional political elites in choosing the location for their economic activities, in a context of competitive integration of certain regions/localities into global production circuits. Document research was carried out on official websites, as well as an extensive bibliographic review on the topic. It was found that the regions/localities reappear as a development strategy linked to changes in the institutional forms and practices of the State in the face of the new imperatives of capitalism that emerge with the establishment of differentiated spaces, according to their GCP, directly linked to the capitalist accumulation process. Nevertheless, EPZ can also be regarded as a discursive tool for public managers (state and municipal ones) and regional elites (mainly in peripheral regions), in addition to being a strategy to promote endogenous development and to insert such regions/localities into world markets.

Keywords:
Regional development; General conditions of production; Exports; Regional elite