Local development and economic empowerment

Abstract

Milton Santos is the author of key contributions to the spatial dimension of development. He was also deeply concerned with the social dimension of the economy, and his notion of the"lower circuit" has been instrumental in stimulating analysis on survival strategies at the bottom of the pyramid. Unlike the big corporations and their global logic of accumulation, the lower circuit is basically local and close to community. This view is essential for the organization of a system of support for local development through the productive inclusion and the notion of "decent" employment. The paper relies heavily on a research on productive inclusion in Brazil, using Milton Santos' categories.