VANTAGEM COMPARATIVA E MATRIZ DE COMPETITIVIDADE DO MATE BRASILEIRO E ARGENTINO, NO PERÍODO DE 1997-2011

This article aims to analyze the performance of exports from Brazil and Argentina in the international mate market. The analysis method used refers to the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (IVCR) of the Brazilian and Argentine mate, during the period from 1997-2011. At the beginning, it was verified the existence of structural breaks of the time series, then, were investigated the rate of market growth and the Symmetric Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (IVCRS) that were used to identify the mate position of each country in the competitiveness matrix. The results obtained in the whole period showed that both the Brazilian and Argentine mate presented products that have comparative advantage (+) in markets with increasing demand (+).