Desenvolvimento regional: a diversidade regional como potencialidade

Throughout the second half of the twentieth century the debate on regional development in Brazil received special attention, especially among economists and geographers. Two main approaches stand out in the debate: one that understands the promotion of regional development from the reduction / elimination of regional inequalities, and the other proposes the understanding of regional diversity and potentiality for developing regions. The first was and still remains hegemonic, being evidenced both in scientific papers and in documents guiding public policies in the area. The latter is evidenced most clearly from the 1990s on, a period when the concept of region is resumed under a new approach. This paper aims to clarify the meaning of each of these concepts in order to contribute to the qualification of the discussion on regional development.