Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The purpose of social and economic development versus the reality of its asymmetries: the case of Alcoutim.

2006; Volume: 5; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

2611-1128

Hélder Brito Carrasqueira, Lídia Rodrigues,

Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies

By benefiting from the EU financial support, Portugal has made significant progress to come closer to the average development level achieved by the oth er EU Member States. However, we notice a persistent territorial duality: the coastline and the hinterland. These are the development asymmetries, caused by the present economic model, which emphasises and values aggregate e conomies and urban societies. This model exerts a powerful effect of attrac tion, which we call “eucalyptus effect” because, as the tree, so the model tends to “dry out” all the territories that have no means of accompanying this ten dency. The Algarve is a small region in which the consumer purchasing pow er is higher than the national average. Nevertheless, there is Alcoutim, the objective of our research, a municipality located at only 30 km (measured in a s traight line) from the coastline, which shows index dependency and purchas ing power rates reflecting problematic performances. This will lead to the hu man desertification of the territory and, if this tendency is not inverted, the population will eventually be in danger of extinction (as we try to demonstrate further). Considering this, the authors do not intend to contradict the present development model, which is mainly based on tourism. We stand for the extension of this model to the less developed inland areas. In our view this would be the best way to preserve what still remains of traditional and cultural val ues, which would doubtless be lost if this depopulation rate is maintained.