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O artigo busca apresentar as principais características dos indicadores socioeconômicos e a complexidade – usualmente subestimada – dos processos de construção e interpretação dos mesmos. Igualmente bem, busca demonstrar que a contribuição dos indicadores para o esclarecimento de uma dada realidade é função direta dos objetivos do pesquisador e do objeto de análise. Não existem indicadores “relevantes em si”: há indicadores particularmente úteis em determinadas análises que se mostram inúteis (e passíveis de alimentar incompreensões) quando utilizados em outras. Especificamente no caso dos estudos regionais, os indicadores devem ser construídos levando em consideração o caráter relativo e relacional deste padrão de análise. O Quociente Locacional é um indicador que sintetiza numa única informação a posição de um território com relação a um outro que é tomado por referência comparativa. Apresentamos a evolução deste indicador nos textos de seus principais proponentes – Hildebrand, Mace e North – e, por fim, apresentamos uma proposta de generalização do mesmo para uso em análise regional. Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the main characteristics of socioeconomic indicators and the complexity – usually underestimated – linked to the process of their construction and interpretation. It also seeks to demonstrate that the contribution of indicators to clarifying a given reality is a direct function of the researcher's objectives and his subject of analysis. There are no “indicators relevant in themselves”. Some indicators, that are particularly useful in certain analyzes, prove useless (and liable to feed misunderstandings) when used in others. Specifically in the case of regional sciences, indicators must be constructed taking into account the relative and relational character of this kind of analysis. The Location Quotient is an indicator that synthesizes in a single piece of information the position of a territory in relation to another that is taken as a comparative reference. We present the evolution of this indicator in the texts of its main proponents – Hildebrand, Mace and North – and, finally, we present a proposal for its generalization for use in regional analysis.

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Copyright of Informe Gepec is the property of Informe Gepec and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)