showing 5 related works from this author
The uneven transition towards universal literacy in Spain, 1860–1930
2021
This study provides new evidence on the advance of literacy in Spain during the period 1860–1930. A novel dataset, built with historical information from the Spanish population censuses (over 8000 ...
Inequality and education in pre-industrial economies: Evidence from Spain
2018
Abstract This article contributes to the debate on institutions and economic development by examining the historical link between land access inequality and education. Using information from the 464 districts existent in mid-19th century Spain, this paper confirms that there is a negative relationship between the fraction of farm labourers and male literacy rates. This result does not disappear when a large set of potential confounding factors are included in the analysis. The use of the Reconquest as a quasi-natural experiment allows us to rule out further concerns about potential endogeneity. In addition, controlling for different sources of spatial dependence does not explain away this r…
Tracing the Evolution of Agglomeration Economies: Spain, 1860–1991
2016
Trabajo presentado a Iberometrics VIII: Eight Iberian Cliometrics Workshop. Organizado por el Institute of Advanced Research in Business and Economics (INARBE) de la Universidad Pública de Navarra, en colaboración con Glocred y expertos de instituciones de España y Portugal. Celebrado en la Upna el 20-21 de abril de 2017. This article attempts to quantify how the effect of agglomeration economies on population growth has evolved over time. Using district population in Spain between 1860 and 1991, recorded approximately every decade, this article examines whether initial population affects subsequent population growth. Our results show that, while the relationship between these two variables…
Inequality and Growth in a Developing Economy: Evidence from Regional Data (Spain, 1860–1930)
2020
ABSTRACTThis article measures inequality at the provincial level in Spain for different benchmark years between 1860 and 1930. It then empirically assesses the relationship between economic growth and inequality. The results confirm that, although growing incomes did not directly contribute to reducing inequality, at least during the early stages of modern economic growth, other processes associated with economic growth such as the rural exodus to urban and industrial centers, the demographic transition, and the spread of literacy, among others, notably improved the situation of the bottom part of the population.
Two stories, one fate: age-heaping and literacy in Spain, 1877-1930
2021
This study looks at human capital in Spain during the early stages of modern economic growth. In order to do so, we have assembled a new dataset on ageheaping and literacy in Spain for both men and women between 1877 and 1930 based on six population censuses with information for 49 provinces. Our results show that age-heaping was less prevalent during the second half of the 19th century than previously thought and did not decrease until the early twentieth century. By contrast, literacy increased throughout the whole period. Interestingly, age-heaping and illiteracy rates depict similar spatial patterns which confirm the stark differences in human capital within Spain. Lastly, we raise crit…