Comércio externo do Brasil e suas macrorregiões: um teste do teorema de Heckscher-Ohlin

The goal of this paper was to evaluate if the external trade relations, that take place in the Brazilian economy as a whole and in each one of its five macro regions, are in accordance of their relative abundance of factors of production, or if there is other reasons that explain the production location. In the tests conducted using the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem for the external trade of Brazil and its macro regions, with their principal partners in the international market, it was possible to verify that the theorem was valid for all the 30 relations of trade observed. Brazil and its macro regions have shown relative abundance of non-qualified labor in the trade with the more developed countries and relative abundance of qualified labor in the trade with less developed countries. The results for the intra-industry trade confirms the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem in 27 cases, the exceptions are found in the trade between: a) Brazil and Mercosur; b) Southeast region and Mercosur; and c) South region and Mercosur.