CAPACIDADES INSTITUCIONAIS PARA INTERNACIONALIZAÇÃO DE CIDADES: OS MODELOS DE SÃO PAULO E GOIÂNIA

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the institutional capacities for the international insertion of cities, in order to discover possible distinct models of internationalization of the subnational entity. The latent global action of local governments gives rise to the urgency of understanding how municipal governments interact with the various public and private actors in order to project their city on the international scene, as well as to prospect for internationalization actions within their territory. In this sense, this article presents the results of a research about the processes, aspects and dimension of internationalization of the cities of Sao Paulo and Goiânia, investigating them in the light of their socioeconomic and political perspectives. This research corroborates interviews with representatives of agencies and institutions regarding the internationalization of both cities. Internationalization, therefore, can be provoked from the perspective of a passive model or from the perspective of a (pro) active model. Thus, it is possible to realize that the presence of public power and the intersection with civil society actors and private power are essential in the development of an internationalization policy. The differences between the two municipalities show that although globalization has narrowed the media and transformed trade relations, internationalization processes are uneven. The internationalization of a subnational entity is closely linked to the decentralized action capacity of the municipality in relation to the central power, as well as the interest, investment, and movement of governments and other actors.