DEBATE ON SMALL MUNICIPALITIES I IN THE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY

Abstract

The classification by population size of Brazilian municipalities established by the National Social Assistance Policy (PNAS), in 2004, meant an important advance in terms of the centrality of the socioterritorial perspective in the operationalization of this public policy, incorporated by workers, managers and researchers working in the area. , it is currently possible to deal with this policy from five population sizes, namely: Small I (up to 20,000 inhabitants), Small II (from 20,001 to 50,000 inhabitants), Medium (from 50,001 to 100,000 inhabitants), Large (from 100,001 inhabitants). to 900,000 inhabitants) and Metropolis (over 900,000 inhabitants). When generating a grouping of municipalities, as is the case with the population sizes of the public social assistance policy, a certain degree of homogeneity within each group is assumed, which does not mean that there will be no inequality(s) between the municipalities belonging to each size, but the frequency of one or more variables that stand out and characterize the grouping is observed. Our text deals with the Pequeno Porte I group, with the absolute frequency of the number of inhabitants, but with a high degree of inequality and heterogeneity between the municipalities belonging to this grouping.