A socio-economic development policy for the Azores

Abstract

The archipelago of the Azores consists of a group of nine islands, with total areas varying from 17 square kilometres (Corvo) to 747 square kilometres (S. Miguel). The Azorean total territorial area is about 2,333 square kilometres, which represents 2.5 per cent of the national territory of Portugal, while the Azorean exclusive economic zone covers an area of approximately 938,000 square kilometres. To study the economic policy applied in the autonomous region of the Azores during the last three decades, we must first divide that time into two distinct periods. The first corresponds to the last fifteen years of the "old regime," characterized by a model for development strongly tied to the agricultural and cattle-breeding sector, with progressive abandonment of the traditional cultures in favour of an increasing dedication to dairy production. This tendency, along with the very high birth rate then experienced, led to higher levels of unemployment. The other sectors of the Azorean economy were unable to absorb the available labour force, leading to strong emigration to the United States and Canada, and thus avoiding the insurgence of social conflicts in the region.