CAUSALITY RELATIONS IN THE INDUSTRIAL GROWTH PATTERN IN BRAZIL (1975-2003)

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper was to identify the time preceding relations in the industrial production during 1975-2003, by the means of Granger causality tests. To that end, we have adopted the classification by categories of primary use (intermediate, consumer non-durable, consumer durable and capital goods). Specifically, we aimed to verify whether the distinct outcomes for the leadership and lagging relations that were a sharp characteristic of the Brazilian “miracle” have persisted. While the slowdown in the demand for consumer durables dragged the other sectors, the accumulation and production in the capital goods industry were finally growing. That was interpreted as a dynamic realization or effective demand problem. The main results of the present investigation emerged from a vector error correction model (VEC) and indicated that the production in the capital goods industry have lagged the movements in the consumer durables in the period, reproducing to a large extent the pattern observed during the growth “miracle”. Thus, conspicuous consumption seemed to drive industry and the economy as whole through growing spasms.