Industrialization and Local Productive Arrangements in Southwest Paraná

This paper analyzes the new productive profile and spatial dynamics of the Pato Branco/Francisco Beltrão region in southwestern Paraná in light of the phases of industrial development in Brazil and, especially, in the state, with the basic principle of identifying relevant industrial agglomerations that enable the implementation of Local Productive Arrangements (LPAs) in the region in question. Within this context, we sought to understand how the Pato Branco/Francisco Beltrão region-traditionally agricultural and lacking a strong industrial base-has behaved in the face of the relative spread of industrial activity that has occurred in the state of Paraná in recent times. Evidence that the region under analysis has been benefiting from this relative industrial decentralization appears when it becomes possible to identify the emergence of at least six industrial agglomerations with a medium-high degree of specialization, which point to the emergence of future Local Productive Arrangements (APLs).