GaWC Project 40

Brazilian Cities in the World City Network

Funded by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) - Brazil and supported by TGL (COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)) (2003-04)

Grant Holder: Eliana Consoni Rossi to work under the supervision of Professors Peter Taylor and Jonathan Beaverstock in conjunction with Professors Elton Fernandes and Carlos Lessa (PEP/COPPE/UFRJ)

[Results]

During her secondment to Loughborough University, Eliana Rossi will explore the links of Brazilian cities to the world city network. The final objective of the study is to test the hypothesis that Rio de Janeiro articulates/mediates a regional economy to the global system - one of the world city functions (1.c) pointed out by Friedmann in his article 'The world city hypothesis', in Development and Change, 1986, 17(1), p. 70. The conception of GaWC of a world city network and the results of GaWC on Rio de Janeiro are the starting point of this exploratory study.

The immediate aim of the study is to develop a methodology which applies public data to find inter-city relationships. The relationship among cities is expected (i) to be related to the world city network, (ii) to be related to cities that do not belong to the world city network, and (iii) to have Rio de Janeiro as a world city that inducts such relationship. The public data should be related to relevant businesses or advanced producer services in Brazil, published in business newspapers, magazines or web pages. The methodology is expected (i) to be aligned to the world city network conception, (ii) to be able to point relationship trends (enlargements, retractions, new entrants), and (iii) to monitor cities relationship - this means: be permanently up to date. Although the methodology is expected to encompass secondary data, it is also possible that primary data will be collected through structured questionnaires. The exploratory character of secondary data collection and analysis may point (i) the useful data, (ii) the necessary primary data, and (iii) to describe the most effective procedure to observe the relationship amongst Brazilian non-world cities and Brazilian world cities.

The main sources used in the secondary data analyses are (i) the online edition of Exame - Melhores e Maiores (1973-2002), a traditional and respected Brazilian business magazine, (ii) the printed editions of Exame - Melhores e Maiores (1990-2002), (iii) the online and printed editions of Valor Grandes Grupos (2001 and 2002) a new respected Brazilian business magazine, (iv) the front page of important Brazilian business newspapers in the period March 2001 to February 2002 (the national editions of Gazeta Mercantil, and Valor Economico), (v) the front page of selected representative newspapers from Brasília (Correio Braziliense) , Rio de Janeiro (Jornal do Brazil) and São Paulo (O Estado de São Paulo) in the period January 2000 to December 2002.

The results will be published in report and article format. The predicted possible subjects are (i) the role of the most important Brazilian newspapers in the world city context, (ii) the nature of the Brazilian nodes, (iii) the lead role of Rio de Janeiro as a world city, (iv) the regional influence indicators of Rio de Janeiro as a world city, (v) the methodology to identify the regional city network led by Rio de Janeiro.