Difusão de inovação na indústria têxtil em Jardim de Piranhas/RN: dependência de trajetória e desenvolvimento local no Seridó potiguar

Abstract

The process of innovation diffusion within the localized industrial system of textile production in Jardim de Piranhas, Potiguar Seridó, raises important questions concerning the territorial dimensions of economic development and the role of knowledge and innovation in peripheral contexts. This study aims to analyze the local productive arrangement of the Potiguar Seridó, with particular attention paid to the city of Jardim de Piranhas, utilizing the perspectives of Political Economy of Space and Evolutionary Economic Geography to examine the territorial implications of the diffusion of recent innovations. To achieve this goal, this study constructs a periodization of regional economic dynamics based on a comprehensive survey of specialized literature and semi-structured interviews with relevant social agents of textile production in Jardim de Piranhas, RN. The results of this analysis demonstrate the historical resilience of the regional economy, which has continued to invest in textile production despite market fluctuations. Additionally, the study illuminates social polarization between owners of textile factories who possess the capacity to invest in capital goods, enabling the diffusion of innovations, and new textile factions with lower levels of capital and labor-intensive manual labor resulting from the modernization of machines and equipment. This process indicates regional learning that allows workers in the sector to relocate themselves professionally, ultimately contributing to the local potential for innovation production. In conclusion, this study underscores the significance of knowledge and innovation in even the most peripheral and precarious contexts. It highlights the local potential for innovation production and points to the importance of continued investment in textile production in Jardim de Piranhas and the Potiguar Seridó more broadly.