BR-M1108 : Building a local economic development policy in the state of Rio de Janeiro

Between 1960s and 1990s, the state of Rio de Janeiro went through a process of loosing much of its administrative/political functions and economic activities, which set the basis for a very unequal development across its regions. Today, the investments realized in light of the World Cup and the Olympics, on one hand, and the investments realized by the oil and ship building industries, on the other hand, are creating the opportunities for a more encompassing form of development, one that is not only concentrated in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, but that also extends to peripheral areas of the state. This Project aims to support the state government of Rio de Janeiro to develop its own competitiveness policy through the promotion of SMEs, taking into account the appreciation of the territorial assets in the state. The project will create a policy dialogue involving public actors (all levels of government) and private stakeholders around a concrete experience in two regions of the state (Baixadas Litoraneas and Noroeste Fluminense). In each region, a local economic development (LED) strategy will be designed and implemented, including the realization of concrete actions identified in the strategy. By involving from the beginning of the process the highest level of the state government, by fostering the exchange of experiences, modifications and improvement to the strategies, and by generating evidence, the Project will strengthen local capacities for the adoption of LED policies, and will lay the foundations for the creation of a state-wide LED policy. Thanks to the experience of the Project, and through the generation of evidence, the Project also seeks to influence other Brazilian state governments for the application of similar model of interventions and policies. A dialogue with the federal government will be also sought in an effort to influence policy making at that level.