LEITURA MIKRIPOLITANA DA REGIÃO INTERMEDIÁRIA DE MARINGÁ

Abstract

Writing this article meant we had to revisit questions that have arisen in recent decades with the advance of research into small towns: what have these studies been like? What do they problematize? What kind of analyses are carried out? For this last question, we tried to outline considerations about the approaches we built during the process of analyzing the Intermediate Region of Maringá, emphasizing the perspective of looking at the presence of small towns, seeking to understand their dynamics and roles. Therefore, we present a regional reading, through the systematization of data collected in the first stage of the research carried out within the Mikripoli Network: “Small towns, socio-spatial dynamics and regional development in Brazil”, including the total population from the 2022 Demographic Census and the most recent publications on Gross Domestic Product per capita, the Gini Index and the Social Vulnerability Index. Reflections on the paths taken to study small towns are based on the researcher's own practices, as well as the experience of working in a network. The systematization and analysis of the data shows a persistent demographic decline in several municipalities, and the GDP data indicates that more than economic results, economic activities need to be socially inclusive, generating income and employment opportunities for the population