economy

The complexity and intensity of the economic crisis we have faced in the past two years has been unprecedented, but today we can say that the world has left the recession behind. Now, it is time to look forward and also to learn from past experience, from the mistakes that have caused this crisis. In the same way that if we are now leaving the crisis it is because the world has learnt from past experience, especially from the Great Depression, in the thirties of the twentieth century.

According to the experts, the key variables involved in deciding where to start a new business are influenced by the proximity of: supply sources and first-class suppliers of all types; a qualified, motivated and abundant workforce at a competitive price; an excellent knowledge environment; a strategic location and quality infrastructures; strong markets; a dynamic financial environment; a high standard of living; and, an efficient government which is also supportive.

A Marriage of Convenience or an Impending Divorce?

Spain’s economic crisis has given added impetus to the growing sentiment for Catalan independence within this region, as evidenced by the emergence of new independence parties and increasing voices demanding independence, as seen in the massive march of July 10, 2010 in Barcelona. The economic crisis has not started this movement.  But by making the economic problems in Spain more immediate and deeper and hitting more people and by making the economic relations between the autonomic governments and the central government more visible, it has mightily contributed to it, along with recently adverse rulings on the Catalan Constitution, or the “Estatut” (not the subject of this article).

Today everybody coincides in saying that unemployment and the economic crisis are the worst problems we have. There are others, but with almost six-hundred thousand unemployed people and our damaged economy, the new Government resulting from the 28^th of November elections will have to react vigorously to improve employment and generate wealth.

Catalonia is facing, like the rest of Europe, a threat of the dismantlement of the Welfare State. The solutions that have been proposed to come out of the crisis are simply awful. We wanted to rebuild capitalism, but neoliberalism is once again winning in rising out of the crisis, which was provoked by the same neoliberal model. Like Greece and Ireland, President Zapatero has followed the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the book.