Il processo di convergenza socio-economica nel MERCOSUR, a partire dalla sua istituzione: una verifica empirica a livello sub-nazionale.

The main objective of this work is to analyze the presence of a process of convergence in terms of socio-economic between the regions of the MERCOSUR from its inception. Despite the need for a better understanding about the asymmetries existing at the sub-national level for integration processes, most of the studies conducted about the MERCOSUR did not consider the differences between those mentioned areas. Considering that in the current debate still prevail reductionist conceptions about this integration process, this paper aims to consider some of the particularities present in that territory. Taking into account the gaps in terms of data relating to important issues such as the dynamics of convergence/divergence at the sub-national level in the five countries observed, this research tried to examine in more detail the behavior some of these aspects in one of the MERCOSUR's members: Brazil. About the two areas of inclusion /exclusion analyzed, this research found out that, at the sub-national level, the trend to a greater cohesion occurred only in very elementary aspects, not contemplating, therefore, a number of key issues necessary for an effective structural reconfiguration. JEL: R11, R12 e R13. 1 This thesis has been possible thanks to the collaboration agreement between the Università degli Studi di Ferrara (Italy) and the Universidade Federal do Maranhão (Brazil). The research was carried out partly in Italy and partly in Brazil. In Italy the work was supervised by Professor Aurelio Bruzzo (Department of Economics and Management - Università di Ferrara), while in Brazil the work was supervised by Professor Flávio Bezerra de Farias (Department of Public Policy - Universidade Federal do Maranhão).