TsT5. 2003.

Dossier

♦ José A. Hercé and Simón Sosvilla Rivero
Economic Effects of Railway Investments in Spain during the Period 1991–2007

Abstract:
In this paper, we assess the macroeconomic and sectoral effects of railway investments made in Spain during the 1990s and planned through 2007 under the Transport Infrastructure Plan. We focus particularly on the effects on GDP and employment, taking into account both supply-side and demand-side effects. Although this is a relatively standard exercise in the tradition established by Aschauer’s work in the late 1980s, it contrasts methodologically with historical analyses of the effects of large-scale transport (rail) infrastructure projects conducted from the perspective of “new economic history.” Nevertheless, the results of both methodologies, treated with the appropriate reservations, do not necessarily contradict each other.

♦ Ana Olmedo Gaya
The Ups and Downs of Railway Protection
Abstract:
In the 19th century, it was unthinkable that ordinary roads could compete with the railroad; however, in the 1920s, fierce competition from the automotive industry began.
The Law on Coordination between Rail and Road of December 27, 1947, inspired by the uncompromising protection of the railroad, sought to curb competition from motorized road transport by providing, on the one hand, a concurrence fee and, on the other, the right of first refusal that railway companies would hold over so-called regular road services coinciding with rail.
The current regulatory framework has brought about a major change in this area, as the 1987 Land Transport Organization Act (LOTT) eliminated the ban on regular road routes coinciding with rail and the right of first refusal. The LOTT has opted for the equalization and harmonization of competitive conditions between road and rail, establishing free competition between the two modes of transport and putting an end to the unfair approach of the previous regulations, which assigned road transport a purely complementary and distributive role to rail.

♦ Esperanza Frax Rosales and María Jesús Matilla Quiza
The Madrid Metro
Abstract:
The decline of the tram in Madrid, as in so many other cities in Spain, was driven by the increase in the number of cars on the road; in Madrid’s case, this was compounded, starting in 1919, by the opening of the first line of a metro network that would gradually fill Madrid’s underground with tunnels and stations. This study examines the construction and operation of the metro network from the first third of the 20th century through the mid-1990s. This article is a review of the scarce existing literature on the primary form of public transportation that has enabled the capital’s growth without overwhelming its historic center. This concise overview invites a comprehensive and global study of this strategic service and the company that operates it, which throughout its history has undergone every possible form of management.

♦ Ramón Lanza García
The Economic Depression of the 1600s in Cantabrian Spain: The Case of the Four Coastal Towns
Abstract:
The modern era offered new opportunities for the expansion of maritime and fishing activities throughout Europe. However, the ports along the Cantabrian coast saw their growth stall very early on and soon entered a deep and prolonged economic depression. After a brief examination of the economic structure of the Four Towns, the study focuses on analyzing the dual trajectory of the urban population—with special attention to the seafaring population—and of the economy, encompassing both trade and fishing. Below, we offer some possible explanations, among which the collapse of Castilian demand and, above all, the monarchy’s intervention through naval, military, and fiscal policies stand out. With the firsthand sources provided by the regional study, it is possible to appreciate the extent and nature of a widespread depression.

♦ Rafael Barquín Gil
Foreign Trade in Wheat and Flour and the Food Crises in Spain
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to raise some reservations regarding two common assertions in Spanish historiography concerning the foreign trade of wheat and flour in the 19th century. First, that the 1820 decree prohibiting imports was essential for the development of the domestic market. A comparison of domestic and foreign prices clearly reveals that this integration was due, above all, to the competitiveness of Spanish wheat itself. The second claim being questioned is that wheat and flour exports prior to the agricultural crises of 1856/57 and 1868 seriously exacerbated those crises. It does not appear that either these exports or imports influenced price formation; only the large imports at the end of 1868 prevented an even greater crisis from occurring the following year. To this end, a brief statistical summary of the foreign trade in wheat and flour in the 19th century is provided.

Historical Heritage

♦ José Andrés González Pedraza
Business Archives in Spain: Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, and Extremadura
Abstract:
This article analyzes the current state of corporate archives in these three regions, with special mention of the local legislation affecting them and the state of organization of the archives. First, it is stated that a business archive is a specific institution within a company dedicated to document management, and that the business archive serves as a historical representation of the business reality in which multiple relationships unfold. Furthermore, the article analyzes the historical evolution of business documents within the context of the evolution of business in Spain.

♦ Jesús Llanera and Itxaso Erroteta
Maritime heritage. The case of the Ría de Bilbao Maritime Museum
Abstract:
Nestled on the left bank of the Bilbao Estuary, on land that once belonged to the Euskalduna shipyards, the Bilbao Estuary Maritime Museum is an ambitious project created with the ultimate goal of recovering, preserving, and promoting the cultural and historical heritage generated by maritime activity in the Bilbao Estuary and its surroundings, with a focus on the people who made it possible.
Through these heritage elements, the museum seeks to reveal something that goes beyond the mere object; ultimately, it aims to rescue and share ways of life that reflect the men and women who, through their close connection to the Bilbao Estuary and the sea, have shaped the cultural and social fabric of our region.
The result of a clear and robust acquisition policy, as well as the strong collaboration of institutions, companies, and individuals with the museum, is the creation of a collection of great heritage value, in which each and every piece has a coherence and purpose within the overall project. The aim of this article is to present this heritage in its various forms: immovable heritage, floating heritage, documentary heritage, and, finally, intangible heritage.

Reviews

♦ Javier Vidal Olivares
Rigas Doganis, The Airline Business in the 21st Century
♦ Juan Carlos Ponce
Ian Carter, Railways and Culture in Britain: The Epitome of Modernity
♦ Pablo Ortuńez Goicolea Goicolea
Carlos Larrinaga Rodríguez, Between Irún and Los Alduides. The Northern Railway
, and the Crossing of the Pyrenees in the Mid-19th Century
♦ Juan Manuel Matés
Andrea Giuntini, The Changing City. Urban Infrastructure and Networked Technical Services
in Italy between the 19th and 20th Centuries