Cooperação, governança e desenvolvimento regional : análise do consorciamento no Noroeste do Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil.

Abstract

Brazil - a nation of wide geographical extension and territorial diversity - has vast potential for constant development. However, there are socio-spatial imbalances, arising from various factors, namely: historical, political, income concentration, among others. Over time, public policies of national scope have had very different impacts that, in some cases, accentuated social inequalities. Thus, some Federated Units present greater population density, diversity of productive arrangements and infrastructure in relation to others. In Minas Gerais, for example, there are socioeconomic potentialities and weaknesses, that is, some developed regions in contrast to others of low development index. In addressing regional disparities, rethinking development from territorial units may be a viable alternative. For this purpose, the implementation of institutional cooperation ties is fundamental. In the meantime, public consortia are experiences that can strengthen cooperation and territorial governance as well as propose actions in the management of public goods, by presenting innovative instruments in the area of regional development and executing projects that address the issue of territorial planning and the management of shared programs, services and purchases of the consortium members. In this context, this research is inserted, which addresses the importance of cooperation, governance and regional development, by means of inter-municipal cooperation, with the creation and development of structuring projects, through the operation of a municipal consortium. The research therefore aims to understand how the cooperation and governance actions of the Northwestern Minas Valleys Consortium of Health and Development have focused on the regional development process in this portion of the state. The methodological procedures consisted of bibliographic and documentary research as well as field work. The results indicate that, despite the diversity among the municipalities of that Consortium, its performance has promoted significant improvements in the regional context, namely: increased cooperation in territorial management, reorganizing of the sanitary and health inspection services network and the development of the axes culture, education and environment – with the inclusion of the project of construction of dams - strengthening of family entrepreneurship in rural areas, among others.