From rotative to low migration patterns: an analysis of 1995-2000 patterns of population mobility in Brazil

Abstract

The authors propose a method for classifying the 5507 municipalities in Brazil according to their characteristics of migration phenomena, as shown in the data now available from the 2000 National Brazilian Census. Multivariate classifications for data reduction and classification analysis were carried out on a set of selected variables that describe how the municipalities in the country are articulated with the overall Brazilian migration network. First a central component analysis was applied in order to reduce the set of original variables into a new set of uncorrelated components. Next these components were used in a classificatory cluster analysis with the purpose of establishing a migration typology for the locations being studied. The results showed that there are great differences among municipalities in their participation in the migration network. There are many municipalities with weak ties with the migration network and a few areas with strong ties, where the populations are very mobile. We have called these municipalities “rotative locations.” This classification indicates the existence of new categories of territory beyond the classical definitions of attraction and repulsion, one example being these rotative areas.