Pobreza multidimensional em áreas de mineração de grande escala no Brasil: os casos do Pará e de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Considering the intrinsic exhaustible nature of mineral resources, it is known that their exploitation is temporary and causes ecological and social disturbances. Historically, mining activity, especially large-scale mining, has contributed to economic growth, achieved improvements in energy efficiency and expanded infrastructure and innovation; however, it continues to aggravate environmental degradation, social inequality, increase health risks and perpetuate the dichotomy between regions rich in natural resources but poor in their quality-of-life indexes. In view of this, this work aims to answer the following research problem: how has mining contributed to multidimensional poverty in the largest Brazilian mining regions? To answer these questions, the empirical application focuses on the construction of Multidimensional Poverty Indices, based on the Alkire-Foster (AF) method. Based on international and national literature, the guiding hypothesis of the research is that mining municipalities in Pará and Minas Gerais are poorer in terms of multidimensionality; however, this effect may be different for households with members involved in mining activities. This research has three specific objectives: i) to understand the relationship between multidimensional poverty and the largest Brazilian mining municipalities, especially those located in the states of Pará and Minas Gerais; ii) to analyze the configuration of multidimensional poverty among the inhabitants of the largest Brazilian mining municipalities; iii) to verify whether mining activities have a positive impact on their direct participants. The analysis showed that multidimensional poverty is more pronounced in mining municipalities, especially in Pará, which has a significantly higher incidence and intensity of poverty than those recorded in Minas Gerais. Between 2000 and 2010, a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty was observed, especially among households with members involved in mining activities located in mining municipalities in both states.