Inovação, habilidades e desigualdade de renda: uma investigação do mercado de trabalho formal dos municípios brasileiros

Abstract

The implications of technological progresson employment have been intensively studied. Evidence for advanced economies points to regional innovation as a source of income disparities in cities and regions, especially when measured by patenting activity. However, the investigation of this relationship in developing countries, such as Brazil, makes it necessary to consider other types of innovation, such as the acquisition of foreign technology through trade. This study aimed to verify the existence of the link between regional innovation and wage inequality in the formal market in Brazilian regions between 2003 and 2014. Estimates by fixed effects for the municipal data panel aggregated in 482 REGICs identify the existence of this relationship and point out that it heterogeneous for different territorial sections.The sensitivity of the results to the adopted innovation indicators indicates the greater relevance of the diffusion of innovations and the acquisition of external technology for developing countries. It is also verified that the difference in the qualification of the workforce is associated with inequality in the formal market of REGICs and presents a non-linear behavior in the form of an inverted U-shaped curve.