Catalan Municipalities Research Articles

Sustainability, Local Environmental Behaviour and Firm Location Decisions

AbstractThis paper uses Mercantile Register data to analyse the location decisions of firms in Catalan municipalities (between 2010 and 2019). Using count data panel estimations, we focus on local sustainability characteristics. The identification of the location patterns and the effects of local environmental policies on firms belonging to different sustainability industries constitute a contribution to the empirical location literature. Our results help in understanding entry processes at the local level and how both citizens' environmental values and local environmental policies shape these. We show that (i) firms locate differently depending on their sustainability profile and (ii) local environmental policies have stronger effects on the location decisions of sustainability‐oriented firms.

Are religious actors relevant in the prevention of violent extremism?

It is common in public discourse in Europe to draw a direct line between a strict observance of Islam and the jihadi Salafi ideology. Thus, the correlations that may exist between “quietist” Salafism and jihadism are used to justify the surveillance of communities labelled as Salafi. However, the main findings of the research we present in this Nota Internacional on the Muslim communities in the Catalan municipalities of Reus (in the province of Tarragona) and Salt (Girona province) question the use of the Salafi label among scholars and the police. They also reveal the part religious and social actors play in the Muslim community. From this standpoint, we can see how religious actors could perform a major role in prevention of violent extremism (PVE) strategies, not just as potential informants as has been the case in the past, but also as real agents for the implementation of these strategies.

Democratic Disruption or Continuity? Analysis of the Decidim Platform in Catalan Municipalities

Free, open-source participatory platforms like Decidim or Consul were designed by the 15M’ citizen activists in Spain. Initially implemented in Barcelona and Madrid, these platforms are spread in many countries. Castells has not examined the institutionalization of the 15M’s offspring, and thus we aim to contribute by studying the rollout of the Decidim platform in Catalan municipalities. We examine its disruptive potential along three democratic dimensions: transparency, participation and deliberation. Our study combines in-depth interviews and an online questionnaire administered to public officials in charge of the platform and analyses the levels of participation on the platform. The research shows elements of managerial continuity: the most valued goals are transparency, organisation of information and the collection of citizen proposals, rather than deliberation and transfer of sovereignty towards citizens. However, the platform forces administrations to consider individual citizens’ inputs, increases citizens’ proposals and initiatives, and brings in new participant publics. Furthermore, democratic innovation is being pushed ahead by a networkof activists and technological experts that continuously improve the platform and function as a counter-power (Castells, 2015, 2016).

La problemática de la deuda en los municipios catalanes de la Edad Moderna. El ejemplo de la ciudad de Lleida a finales del siglo XVII

This paper presents a study on the problem of municipal debt in the Catalan municipalities of the modern age. To do this, we start from the example of the specific case of Lleida's city council: a municipality in inland Catalonia far from the main international credit networks and with an eminently agrarian economy. Analyzing the accounting data of the municipal treasury, we present an evolution of municipal debt during the second half of the seventeenth century, which was substantially reduced. We also analyze the role played by the agreements signed between the municipality and its creditors; those that entailed the application of deductions on pensions (the interest).

La promoción de símbolos identitarios en tiempos de «crisis»: el caso de las ciudades y villas catalanas entre mediados del siglo XIV y finales del siglo XV

El presente artículo analiza la promoción de elementos identitarios por parte de los gobiernos municipales catalanes desde mediados del siglo XIV hasta finales de la centuria siguiente, periodo que la historiografía había tendido a considerar de recesión. A partir de la combinación de datos inéditos e información bibliográfica de procedencia diversa, se presta atención a iniciativas orientadas a fortalecer la imagen externa de las corporaciones locales durante la cronología apuntada: la construcción y progresiva decoración de las casas consistoriales de las principales poblaciones, la adquisición de mobiliario y la creciente preocupación por la apariencia y la indumentaria de los magistrados municipales. Todo este proceso se vincula con el grado de madurez institucional alcanzado por los entes locales desde finales del trescientos y se pone en relación con otros territorios europeos. Nos obliga, en última instancia, a plantear nuevas perspectivas de interpretación de la idea tradicional de crisis de las corporaciones municipales en la Cataluña de los siglos XIV y XV.

Test-riding the driverless bus: Determinants of satisfaction and reuse intention in eight test-track locations

The introduction of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) presents a wide range of challenges and uncertainties regarding their general acceptability. Hence, it is essential that transit managers have a good understanding of passenger satisfaction and of their behavioural intentions after experiencing a driverless vehicle trip. To this end, 1,062 face-to-face surveys were conducted following driverless bus trials in eight Catalan (Spain) municipalities. Using a three-step SEM-MIMIC ordinal Probit approach, we seek to identify the heterogeneity in user perceptions and reuse intentions, a novelty in SAV literature. Specifically, we analyse the users’ behavioural intention to repeat a journey without transit support personnel on the bus and when entirely alone, and how willing they are to substitute their regular bus service with a driverless one. Our results confirm that critical incidents affect user satisfaction concerning safety, the latter constituting one of the most critical factors impacting user reuse intention and overall satisfaction. The test-track scenario also affects reuse intention, with university campuses and parks recording better outcomes than city centres and pedestrianized zones. In contrast to outcomes reported for conventional bus systems, higher socioeconomic status is associated with higher levels of satisfaction with driverless vehicles and a stronger reuse intention. Female users are reluctant to ride on driverless buses alone; however, when they are not regular bus users, they express a reluctance to board SAV both without transit support personnel and alone. In high-income municipalities, we find a positive impact on reuse intention. Finally, a higher degree of satisfaction with the regular bus system is positively linked with a better perceived driverless bus experience. For implementation purposes, location, critical incidents, safety, regular bus user satisfaction, technology affinity, and the income level of the municipalities are all aspects that need to be factored-in when designing an adoption strategy.

A first insight about spatial dimension of COVID-19: analysis at municipality level.

BackgroundThis paper is about spatial patterns of by corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19).MethodsUsing data for the first 21 weeks from municipalities in Catalonia, we analyse whether reported positive cases appear randomly or following some kind of spatial dependence. Global and local measures of spatial autocorrelation are used.ResultsThere are some clusters alongside Catalan municipalities that change over time.ConclusionsUse of spatial analysis techniques is suggested to identify spatial disease patterns and to provide spatially disaggregated public health policy recommendations.

Internet Celebrities Bodies/Emotions in China’s Society 4.0

Internet celebrities, as a group of stars spawned by the market economy and The Internet, reveal both the state of Internet culture and the transformation of mass media in China. The bodies and pictures of these ‘celebs’, while unique, also take on a cultural symbolism. The 4.0 Revolution is the carrier of social practices and kinds of interaction in which the social media play a very special role. In this paper we will focus on the intersections and ruptures between the bodyindividual, body-subjective and body-social (Scribano, 2007) of Chinese Internet celebrities and the articulations and links between body-image and their body-in-movement. With the introduction ofChinese social media platforms such as WeChat (微信), Sina Weibo (新浪微博), Douyin, we try to trace links between the sociability, experiences and social sensibilities of the Internet celebrities and their influence on Society 4.0. This paper: (a) looks at the Chinese social media as a virtual platform for the Internet celebrities; (b) delves into the images and practices of the Internet celebrities; (c) highlights the link between body, sensation and perception regarding social celebrities; (d) shows the kinds of sociability and social sensibilities exhibited by celebrities in China’s Society 4.0. home foreclosure) in several Catalan municipalities. It was conducted by participatory observation, focus groups and in-depth interviews with activists.

Emotional Transition in Social Movements. The PAH Case

We find that some fractured societies, in grappling with Neo-Liberalism as a political project, embark on an emotional transition to win hearts and minds for new, fairer policies to tackle inequalities.Thus, there are ’affective spaces’ facilitating this emotional transition, thereby allowing the building of collective action. For these spaces to work well, they must be configured as chains of interactionrituals, which use emotional transformation to drive social change.This paper is based on a documental analysis and an ethnographic study carried out between 2013 and 2018 in several assemblies of and actions taken by the PAH (a platform for those affected by home foreclosure) in several Catalan municipalities. It was conducted by participatory observation, focus groups and in-depth interviews with activists.

Operating within the boundaries of legislation, accountability and personal agendas

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the views of mayors and comptrollers of Catalan municipalities on aspects related to the Spanish legislation on financial sustainability – its usefulness and necessity of maintaining, its impact on citizens’ welfare and alternative proposals. The setting is rather interesting as strict rules are imposed by a legislation criticized of mimicking European Commission policies, on well-performing municipalities, in light of the recent “independency” conflict.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses insights from the public choice theory and the concept of accountability to draw a framework that could explain the perceptions of mayors and comptrollers. The views of the two groups are captured with the use of an online questionnaire.FindingsThe results indicate that while the application of strict rules has borne fruit, this trend is not sustainable in the long run and a careful reconsideration is required. Accordingly, both groups express concerns on citizens’ future welfare. It moreover appears that in this particular setting, mayors’ and comptrollers’ sense of accountability toward citizens exceed their personal interests.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical evidence on the impact of strict budget stability and sustainability rules on the long-term financial sustainability of local governments from the point of view of mayors and municipality comptrollers who are called to implement them.

Television and electoral results in Catalonia

The television channel TV3 has played a controversial role in the Catalan politics since its creation in the early eighties for its alleged partisan bias and support for the Catalan secessionist movement. This paper examines the impact on electoral results stemming from the exposure to TV3 exploiting its staggered expansion across Catalan municipalities in the 1980s. We find that the introduction of TV3 increased voter turnout in the 1984 Catalan parliamentary election, but it did not have a significant impact on the share of votes received by Convergència i Unió, the Catalan nationalist force that has been commonly associated with this channel since its foundation.

Castellanización y afrancesamiento de los nombres de los municipios catalanes

Se analiza la evolución de los nombres de los municipios catalanes en el marco del proceso de centralización política contemporánea. Se compara la grafía catalana anterior a la Nueva Planta (1715) con la forma escrita oficial a mediados del s. XIX, para comprobar el grado de castellanización experimentado. La misma metodología se aplica en la Cataluña francesa. En total se analizan 1.304 topónimos. Se llega a la conclusión que en la Cataluña española hubo una mayoritaria continuidad de la grafía (76 %), frente a un escaso 33 % en la parte anexionada a Francia. Se distinguen 4 grados de alteración de los topónimos; la distorsión máxima alcanza sólo un 3,3 % de los casos del lado español frente al 51,2 % del francés. La abundante cartografía francesa referida a Cataluña muestra la misma proliferación de topónimos deformados.

Socio-environmental correlates of physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

BackgroundStudy of the causes of the reduced levels of physical activity in patients with COPD has been scarce and limited to biological factors.AimTo assess the relationship between novel socio-environmental factors,...

Barcelona and the Tragic Week of 1909: A crazed mob or citizens in revolt?

Abstract The Tragic Week of 1909 was one of the most disruptive events in contemporary Spanish history. This article seeks to reconsider the nature of the events based on the previously unseen personal archive of the then interior minister Juan de la Cierva. Evidence indicates that the chaotic, anticlerical, anti-military nature of the events should not be exaggerated, since there were many different motives. It also suggests that we should look beyond Barcelona. The uprising actually affected dozens of Catalan municipalities, it was to a certain extent coordinated, included very few anticlerical attacks outside the city of Barcelona (and even within the city they were not the only expression of revolt), and featured no anti-military discourse. A fundamental feature of the Tragic Week, of which the authorities were fully aware, is that it was also a revolutionary, republican uprising.

La gestión transversal de género en momentos de crisis. Análisis de los municipios catalanes

En este artículo analizamos la implementación de la gestión transversal de género en los ayuntamientos catalanes. Se analizan las dificultades y resistencias presentes en los ayuntamientos catalanes para introducir la transversalidad de género en las distintas áreas municipales, elementos que se han visto agravados a causa de los actuales recortes financieros y competenciales que afectan al ámbito local. El estudio intenta dar respuesta a dos preguntas: ¿Por qué la gestión transversal de género aún no es una realidad en los ayuntamientos catalanes? ¿Qué cambios se tienen que producir en la dinámica municipal para que se incluya la igualdad de género en todas las políticas? El artículo se basa en el análisis DAFO realizado a partir de los datos empíricos obtenidos en 7 sesiones de trabajo (grupos de discusión) con personal técnico de los ayuntamientos catalanes de la provincia de Barcelona. Se ha podido observar como las resistencias institucionales a implementar la gestión transversal de género influyen en el personal técnico y dificultan el trabajo realizado desde las concejalías de igualdad.

Accounting for internal variation in nationalist mobilization: unofficial referendums for independence in Catalonia (2009–11)

AbstractBetween September 2009 and April 2011, around one‐half of the Catalan municipalities held unofficial referendums on independence from Spain, in which more than 800,000 citizens took part. However, the participation rates were unevenly distributed across Catalonia. In this paper, using an original data set, we aim to respond to two relevant questions: first, why in some municipalities the referendum took place and in others it did not occur. Second, why did the referendum achieve high rates of turnout in some localities and much lower participation in others. We find that the resources available to the movement, the intensity of the mobilization efforts, the participatory tradition of the municipalities and the size of the nationalist ‘sentiment pool’ in each locality explain to a great extent the internal variation in nationalist mobilization in Catalonia.

Fiscal Transparency

Quality of governance is a key for political accountability, hence, the importance of identifying its determinants. Here, we focus on one dimension of quality of governance: fiscal transparency. Drawing on a sample of 691 Catalan municipalities (2001–7), we estimate the factors determining levels of budgetary transparency. Political competition and decentralization are the most important determinants of fiscal transparency. By contrast, budgetary variables do not appear to play any role.

Is Foreign Immigration the Solution to Rural Depopulation? The Case of Catalonia (1996–2009)

AbstractThis article analyses, from a demographic perspective, how foreign immigration has affected Catalan municipalities under 1000 inhabitants. After decades losing population, this group of villages is, despite its on‐going negative natural growth rate, recently regaining population due to immigration. Nevertheless, not all these municipalities have followed the same path. The local population register or Padrón has been used to build a typology which classifies these villages on the basis of their Spanish and foreign population growth between 1996 and 2009. Results show that, despite practically all of them receiving foreign immigrants, approximately half still decrease in population or have poor increases. Therefore, the international immigration boom has emphasised the spatial dichotomy between a few dynamic rural areas and the rest, which largely occupy inland Catalonia. Only tourist municipalities, mainly receiving foreign immigrants, and those located near urban centres, basically benefiting from Spanish nationality suburban flows, have been able to clearly put an end to depopulation.

La reconstrucción de la actividad femenina en Cataluña circa 1920

This article provides with new evidences about the Female Labour Force Participation rates in fifteen Catalan municipalities in 1920. Due to the high under-registration of female activity by the local enumerator books alternative methods and sources have been used. The reconstruction of female activity rates is based upon the nominative linkage of two main sources: the enumerator books and the Local Workers Censuses made under the direction of the Local and Social Reforms Comission and the Ministry of Labour (1919-1923). Female activity rates were particularly high in textile districts, even higher than in any other European countries at the time. From these new data factors determining female activity have also been analyzed allowing us to conclude that demand factors have a stronger influence than supply factors. This study also shows that male breadwinner model was far from being predominant between working class families in 1920 Catalonia.

Measures and Determinants of Student Body Socioeconomic Diversity: Evidence from Spain

This article deals with the debate on the assessment of pupils socioeconomic dispersion among schools. First, the paper complements the traditional way of measuring “segregation,” which refers to the distribution of a specific subgroup of pupils across different schools, by introducing a new measure which we call “school polarization level.” As argued here, “school segregation” and “school polarization” are associated with different phenomena and so point to different problems with different policy implications. Second, the paper illustrates the application of such measures for the cases of 10 Catalan municipalities (Spain) that apply different policies of school assignment based on residence (school zoning).