Economic governance in the Basque country: balancing continuity and novelty

From the theoretical perspective of experimental governance and in the context of increasing asymmetric decentralization experienced worldwide, this article analyses the current system of economic governance of the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) and the challenges for the near future. The article first deals with the distribution of powers and coordination mechanisms between the BAC, the Spanish State and the European Union, on the one hand, and within the BAC, between the Basque government, the three provincial councils and the municipalities; and then, examines the governance of RIS3 transformative strategies from 2013 onwards. The Basque case shows an adequate balance between continuity and novelty, both in the public policies and in the system and mechanisms of governance and coordination. However, the BAC should urgently address two big challenges: the weakness of non-technological innovation and the full incorporation of key agents, particularly universities and cities, to the governance house

Do clusters follow the industry life cycle? An exploratory meta-study of Basque clusters from the 1970s to 2008

Although clusters life cycles tend to co-evolve with the life cycle of its dominant industry (Bergman, 2008; Menzel and Fornahl, 2010), the stylized life cycle model does not capture the full complexity of cluster evolution (Martin and Sunley, 2011). Empirical studies indicate that clusters do not necessarily follow the life cycles of their dominant industries, as different clusters that belong to the same industry life cycle follow different evolutionary paths (Saxenian, 1994). Thus, clusters are not just a local representation of an industry and local peculiarities also matter for the evolution of a particular cluster (Menzel and Fornahl, 2010). Empirical studies have pointed out that local factors such as factor endowment, entrepreneurship and firms? capabilities, an existing market, or institutions and social capital may have an impact on it (Belussi and Sedita, 2009; Elola et al., 2012). The Basque Country is an old industrialized European region that successfully managed to escape from a lock-in situation in the 1980s renewing its industrial base by upgrading some of its mature clusters and by promoting new high tech ones. Based on the experience of the Basque Country, in this paper, we aim at analyzing whether clusters co-evolve with their corresponding industry or deviate from it. In addition, we also study which are the local factors that explain such behaviors. For that purpose, we draw on a meta-study of six clusters of the Basque Country: papermaking, maritime industries, machine-tools, electronics and ICTs, aeronautics and energy. References BELUSSI, R. and SEDITA, C. (2009) Life Cycle vs. Multiple Path Dependency in Industrial Districts, European Planning Studies, 17, 4, pp. 505-528. BERGMAN, E. M. (2008) Cluster life-cycles: an emerging synthesis, in C. KARLSSON (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Cluster Theory, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham. ELOLA, A., VALDALISO, J. M., ARANGUREN, M. J., and LÓPEZ, S. (2012) Cluster Life Cycles, Path Dependency and Regional Economic Development. Insights from a Meta-Study on Basque Clusters, European Planning Studies, 20, 2, 257-279. MARTIN, R., and SUNLEY, P. (2011) Conceptualizing Cluster Evolution: Beyond the Life Cycle Model? Regional Studies, 45, 10, 1299-1318. MENZEL, P., and FORNAHL, D. (2010) Cluster life cycles ?dimensions and rationales of cluster evolution, Industrial and Corporate Change 19, 1: 205-238. SAXENIAN, A. (1994) Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128. Harvard University Press: Cambridge

Economic governance in the Basque country: balancing continuity and novelty

From the theoretical perspective of experimental governance and in the context of increasing asymmetric decentralization experienced worldwide, this article analyses the current system of economic governance of the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) and the challenges for the near future. The article first deals with the distribution of powers and coordination mechanisms between the BAC, the Spanish State and the European Union, on the one hand, and within the BAC, between the Basque government, the three provincial councils and the municipalities; and then, examines the governance of RIS3 transformative strategies from 2013 onwards. The Basque case shows an adequate balance between continuity and novelty, both in the public policies and in the system and mechanisms of governance and coordination. However, the BAC should urgently address two big challenges: the weakness of non-technological innovation and the full incorporation of key agents, particularly universities and cities, to the governance house

Recensiones [Revista de Historia Económica Año XII Primavera-Verano 1994 n. 2 pp. 437-472]

Editada en la Universidad Carlos IIIRobert C. Allen. Enclosure and the Yeoman. The Agricultural Development of the SouthMidlands 1410-1850 (Por Gaspar Feliú).-- Ruggiero Romano. Conjonctures opposées. La «crise» du XVII siècle: en Europe et en Amérique ibérique (Por Gaspar Feliú).-- Simposio de Historia de las Mentalidades. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México. Familia y poder en Nueva España (Por Juan Carlos Sola Corbacho).-- Leandro Prados de la Escosura y Samuel Amaral (Eds.). La independencia americana: consecuencias económicas (Por Javier Cuenca).-- M.ª Cruz Romeo Mateo. Entre el orden y la revolución. La formación de la burguesía liberal en la crisis de la monarquía absoluta (1814-1833) (Por Ricardo Robledo).-- José G. Cayuela Fernández. Bahía de ultramar. España y Cuba en el siglo XIX. El control de las relaciones coloniales (Por Candelaria Sáiz Pastor).-- José Manuel Pose Antelo. La economía y la sociedad compostelanas a finales del siglo XIX (Por Carlos Larrinaga Rodríguez).-- Frank Broeze. Mr Brooks and the Australian Trade. Imperial Business in the Nineteenth Century (Por Jesús M.ª Valdaliso).-- Robert H. Bremner. Desde lo más bajo. El descubrimiento de la pobreza en Estados Unidos / James T. Patterson. La lucha contra la pobreza en los Estados Unidos de América, 1900-1985 (Por Nuria Puig).-- Justo Navarro Clari. Curso de Historia Económica (Por Antonio Santamaría)Publicad

Recensiones [Revista de Historia Económica Año XIV Primavera-Verano 1996 n. 2 pp. 477-528]

Editada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaBeatriz Cárceles de Gea. Fraude y administración fiscal en Castilla La Comisión de Millones (1632-1658): Poder fiscal y privilegio jurídico-político (Por Juan Zafra Oteyza).-- Enric Tello. Cervera i la Segarra al segle XVIII. En els origens d`una Catalunya pobra, 1700-1860 (Por Tomás Peris Albentosa).-- Ángela Atienza. Propiedad y Señorío en Aragón. El clero regular entre la expansión y la crisis (1700-1835) (Por José Manuel Latorre Ciria).-- Michel Zylberberg. Une si duouce domination. Les milieux d'affaires français et l`Espagne vers 1780-1808 (Por Joan Caries Maixé Altes).-- Paloma Pastor Rey de Viñas. Historia de la Fábrica de Cristales de San Ildefonso durante la época de la Ilustración (1727-1810) (Por Juan Helguera Quijada).-- Ricardo Robledo Hernández. Economistas y reformadores españoles: La cuestión agraria (1760-1935) (Por Juan Antonio Carmona Pidal).-- Juan Pan Montojo. La bodega del mundo (1800-1936) (Por José Pujol Andréu).-- Moisés Llordén Miñambres. Desarrollo económico y urbano de Gijón en los siglos XIX y XX (Por Carlos Larrinaga Rodríguez).-- Manuel Montero. La California del hierro. Las minas y la modernización económica y social de Vizcaya (Por Antonio Escudero).-- Salvador Cruz Artacho. Caciques y campesinos. Poder político, modernización agraria y conflictividad rural en Granada. 1890-1923 (Por Luis Garrido González).-- Miguel Muñoz Rubio. Renfe (1941-1991). Medio siglo de ferrocarril público (Por Francisco Javier Vidal Olivares).-- Eric Hobsbawn. Historia del siglo XX. 1914-1991 (Por Gabriel Tortella).-- Marjorie Grice-Hutchinson. Ensayos sobre el pensamiento económico en España (Por José Luis García Ruiz).-- Richard N. Langlois y Paul L. Robertson. Firms, Markets and Economic Change. A Dynamic Theory of Business Institutions (Por Jesús M. Valdaliso).-- John Komlos (ed.). Stature, Living Standards, and Economic Development: Essays in Anthropometric History, y John Komlos (ed.). The Biological Standard of Living on Three Continents: Further Explorations in Anthropometric History (Por James Simpson)Publicad