Business Networks and Social Capital in Basque Industrialization (1886�1925)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the potential role that social capital played in the industrialization of the Basque Country. The province of Gipuzkoa, together with the neighbouring Bizkaia (Biscay), was one of the most dynamic provinces in Spain in terms of the creation of companies. Using information obtained from the registration of new companies in the Mercantile Register, and through social network analysis, we try to measure the importance that social capital may have had in this process. The methodology is tested with the case study of the arms industry in Eibar, one of the most important sectors in the region.