Resource information
This report examines the implications of
spatial heterogeneity - the uneven distribution of poverty,
growth, and environmental assets - for policy. Its goal is
to inform a wide set of policies that are either explicitly
spatially targeted or may have unanticipated spatial
implications. These include poverty alleviation policies
targeted on poor municipios; demand-driven poverty
alleviation policies; territorial development policies aimed
at stimulating growth in a multi-municipio region; growth
policies targeted on semi-arid regions; policies to protect
environmental assets. The report focuses on clarifying some
of the fundamental assumptions and underpinnings of
spatially oriented development policies, addressing six
questions organized in three sections. Are policies targeted
at poor municipios effective in reaching poor people? Do
demand-driven policies favor poor people? What explains
divergent labor market experiences in rural areas? Are
poverty and economic stagnation in the Northeast closely
tied to agroclimatic conditions? Is poverty a major
determinant of Amazonian deforestation? Is there a steep
trade-off between forest protection and agricultural output?
The report advances knowledge in each of these areas, but
unresolved issues remain for debate and research.
