INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCUTRE AS DRIVERS OF DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN PARÁ: AN INTERSECTORAL ASSESSMENT OF SDG 8 AND SDG 9

Abstract

This article analyzes the profound and necessary interconnection between innovation and infrastructure policies and their direct and indirect impacts on the promotion of decent work and economic growth in the State of Pará, strategically aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8 and SDG 9 of the 2030 Agenda. Using the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) 2024 as the main source of data, the study adopts an intersectoral and critical approach, underpinned by the theoretical framework of Amartya Sen (Capabilities Approach) and Ronald Dworkin (Theory of Law as Integrity). Pará has demonstrated robust and strategic investment in modernizing transport infrastructure (road, waterway) and expanding digital connectivity, totaling R$ 1.6 billion in road and waterway projects in 2023, and investing R$ 11.23 million in expanding internet access in public schools, recognizing infrastructure as a primary good essential for realizing human capabilities. In the area of innovation, the government invested R$ 81.19 million in Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I), focusing on supporting startups and value-adding projects to increase productivity, aligning with SDG 9. These interventions resulted in the creation of 45,560 formal jobs in 2023 and a reduction in the unemployment rate to 7.8%. The main thesis defended is that the sustainability of economic growth in Pará intrinsically depends on the intersectoral integrity of policies, where investment in physical assets (infrastructure) and human capital (innovation) must convert into substantive freedoms for citizens, ensuring a path to human flourishing.