DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL POLICIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INDICATORS IN MINAS GERAIS (2000-2010)

Abstract

This article addresses the theme of development with regard to the urgency of superseding the concept as a synonym for growth, to overcome the aggravation of problems arising from this conception. The objective was to verify if the investments in social policies caused changes in the social welfare of Minas Gerais municipalities between 2000 and 2010. Through the software SPSS and based on data obtained by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Atlas of Development Human, analyzes were performed for the 853 municipalities of the State of Minas Gerais, through the Social Welfare Index (IBES), composed of sub-indices (health and sanitation, education, and economic aspects). The methodology was divided into two stages: (i) to present an analytical and descriptive diagnosis of the IBES calculation, using descriptive statistics; (ii) to explain the correlation coefficients and measurement of the relationship of the indicators that make up the IBES and their respective impact on it, using the Two Steep Least Squares method. The health index showed the most noticeable improvement. The Economic sub-index accounted for the smallest variations in the mining index in 2000. The Education and Health and Sanitation sub-indices were the ones that most impacted IBES in 2010, respectively. The results found reinforce the discussions about the role of development, which must correspond to the expansion of human potential and not only of consumer goods (VEIGA, 2001) and should be seen as a process that reduces the social distances that separate the different layers of society (SACHS, 2004).