Este articulo identifica las principales crisis globales desde 1929 y analiza sus causas, a parti... more Este articulo identifica las principales crisis globales desde 1929 y analiza sus causas, a partir del estudio de una muestra de 12 economias relevantes. Utiliza la historia comparativa para postular que las grandes depresiones globales han derivado de la combinacion de excesos de especulacion financiera y la falta de acierto en la aplicacion de politicas de regulacion de la demanda.
The article analyzes the relationship between the foreign sector and industrial growth in Spain b... more The article analyzes the relationship between the foreign sector and industrial growth in Spain between the end of the Civil War and the launching of the stabilization plan. The attention is focused on Western Europe. During the Second World War the Francoist regime orientated its trade relationships and economic policy towards the Axis. Such a choice prevented the Spanish economy from fully benefitting from neutrality. Between 1945 and 1949, Spain re-orientated its foreign relationships towards Britain, but domestic economic policy remained essentially the same. The final outcome was dramatic divergence in relation to the pattern of growth in Western Europe. During 1950-58 Spain slightly converged with Western Europe because bottlenecks in energy and raw materials moderated, trade with Europe diversified and economic policy was partially reviewed. In contrast to the experience in the forties, during the following decade the variables which explain Spanish economic growth are the sa...
La experiencia de SEAT durante 1948-72 constituye un caso significativo de exito en la adopcion d... more La experiencia de SEAT durante 1948-72 constituye un caso significativo de exito en la adopcion de politicas estrategicas. El apoyo a un “campeon nacional” localizado en un distrito industrial clave, convirtio a Espana en exportadora neta de automoviles. Ademas, la cooperacion con FIAT en el largo plazo tambien permitio la reduccion del canon pagado por SEAT y la creacion de su Centro Tecnico. La alianza del binomio FIAT-Banco Urquijo sirvio para equilibrar las prioridades publicas con la racionalidad del mercado. Hasta 1972 SEAT fue uno de las empresas mas rentables del INI y se comporto aceptablemente con respecto a la media de empresas industriales espanolas y de constructores europeos de automoviles. En 1972 el gobierno espanol decidio reabrir el mercado espanol a Ford. Esta repentina decision constituyo el primer paso hacia un cambio de politicas, que acabaria provocando una tremenda crisis en la compania de Barcelona y erosionaria la confianza de FIAT en la administracion espa...
The present book can be described as an in depth analysis of the formation of firm's and nations'... more The present book can be described as an in depth analysis of the formation of firm's and nations' competitive advantage. As the title suggests, the book uses a comparative approach to answer to complex questions such as the following: What contribution did the business firm make to modern economic growth? According to the authors: «. . .business history inherently has a comparative and dynamic dimension: firms are seen as complex units that evolve over time and have considerable differences in their structures and internal dynamics .» (p. 12). Although the authors are well acquainted with the main theories of the firm and use them intensively, they state early on that their approach can be considered as Neo-Chandlerian (p. 8). As leading members of the Chandlerian school in Europe, Professors Franco Amatori and Andrea Colli share several basic concerns with the prominent American scholar. First, technical progress is cumulative, but there are substantial discontinuities in history; in fact, three consecutive industrial revolutions opened up enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs and countries. Second, since the Second Industrial Revolution the large firm has performed a central role in leading economies by accumulating technological, organizational and distribution capabilities. Third, the rise of big business brought about significant organizational changes in the West, as the prevalence of the M-form of the firm over the U-form. Last but not least, related diversification was a successful strategy of growth for the large firm in the long-run. This appeared particularly clear during the 1970s-early 1980s crisis, when many American conglomerates, which had opted for non-related diversification, experienced dramatic collapse. The book makes it clear that most of Chandler's huge contribution remains valid, in spite of recent criticisms. However, as the book is rich in the historical analysis of cases, it also offers some qualifications of the classical Chandlerian paradigm. Even in America, the main domain of the large firm, the growth of big business during the emergence of the Second Industrial Revolution went hand in hand with an increase in the number of very innovative small firms. The principal advantage of the latter was flexibility. The role of the M-form may have been slightly idealized, as new work on GM seems to suggest. In fact, Alfred Sloan opposed a complete separation between strategic planning and day-today operations. In his view, the most important thing CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk vided by Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert
Este articulo aborda la historia de la industria del automovil en Espana porque su desarrollo con... more Este articulo aborda la historia de la industria del automovil en Espana porque su desarrollo constituye un caso de exito de las politicas estrategicas en el largo plazo. Muestra que dichas politicas fueron efectivas en modificar la pauta de ventaja comparativa. Tambien argumenta que politicas equiparables fueron adoptadas por los grandes productores de America, Europa y Asia durante el siglo XX. Ademas, el trabajo intenta explicar cuales fueron los factores adicionales que explican la ventaja comparativa revelada de la Espana actual en la produccion de automoviles. Desde 1898 el principal elemento de continuidad residio en la generacion de externalidades de tipo Marshalliano: trabajo cualificado, proveedores especializados y acumulacion de conocimientos de las tecnicas y los mercados
This article analyzes the performance of the Spanish economy during the reconstruction period (19... more This article analyzes the performance of the Spanish economy during the reconstruction period (1939-58) within a long-term comparative framework. Whereas the nineteenth-century concluded with the failure of the industrial revolution in Spain, a new drive in the development process took place during the three decades previous to 1936. The new spurt towards industrialization was aborted by the pattern of reconstruction followed after the Civil War. The Francoist policy-choices were strongly connected to the German and Italian totalitarian attempts of centralizing the economic system, disciplining labour and preparing war. They radically altered the pre-1936 structure of economic incentives, leading to the most unsuccessful path of recovery in Western Europe. Moreover, the speculative tendencies within the Spanish capitalism were strengthened, meanwhile long-term innovation in the productive processes was discouraged.
Espacio Tiempo y Forma. Serie V, Historia Contemporánea, 1994
Agradezco los comentarios de E. SAN ROMÁN a una primera versión de este trabajo que tía sido real... more Agradezco los comentarios de E. SAN ROMÁN a una primera versión de este trabajo que tía sido realizado dentro del proyecto PB93-0080 financiado por la DGICYT. ^ Hace diez años, el profesor VIÑAS lamentaba ya el insuficiente uso de fuentes primarias en VIÑAS (1984) p. 239. ^ El libro colectivo de J. CLAVERA y otros es un clásico de esta línea de investigación. •* VIÑAS eí al (1979). En una selección rápida, cabe citar los dos trabajos sobre el INI a cargo de SCHWARTZ & GONZÁLEZ (1978) y el más reciente de MARTÍN ACEÑA & COMÍN (1991); el estudio de las relaciones bilaterales hispano-alemanas de GARCÍA PÉREZ (1994) y las investigaciones sobre el Servicio Nacional del Trigo a cargo de BARCIELA (1981).
En 1972 SEAT era la primera empresa industrial hispana y lideraba la exportación de automóviles, ... more En 1972 SEAT era la primera empresa industrial hispana y lideraba la exportación de automóviles, gracias a una política favorable a la nacionalización productiva. Pero la política industrial del franquismo tardío dio un giro copernicano con la aprobación de los decretos Ford. Dicho vuelco incluyó, en 1973, la invitación a General Motors a salvar la filial de British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), AUTHI. Más que una imposición gubernamental, la compra de Landaben por SEAT en 1975 constituyó la contrapartida del veto a la entrada de General Motors. La resultante ampliación de plantilla era poco recomendable para una compañía que experimentaba un notable crecimiento de costes laborales desde 1969 y una peligrosa caída de la demanda desde 1974. Además, el cambio de política y el posterior incumplimiento del pacto contribuyeron a enturbiar las relaciones con FIAT, acabando con la "luna de miel" en que se desenvolvían sus relaciones desde 1970.
Hace ya más de un siglo, Alfred Marshall, en la parte dedicada a la organización industrial de su... more Hace ya más de un siglo, Alfred Marshall, en la parte dedicada a la organización industrial de sus Principios de Economía, distinguió entre dos clases de economías derivadas de un aumento en la escala de producción: aquéllas asociadas a la eficiencia obtenida con la ...
El siglo europeo de Ford y los límites del fordismo 1 • JORDI CATALAN Universitat de Barcelona Cu... more El siglo europeo de Ford y los límites del fordismo 1 • JORDI CATALAN Universitat de Barcelona Cuenta David Landes que un periódico estadounidense, pretendiendo analizar los cambios de más envergadura del último milenio, le pidió escoger al principal innovador del mundo de la industria 2. El autor de Prometeo Liberado eligió a Henry Ford. Otro maestro de la historia económica estadounidense, Alfred Chandler, inició su singladura investigadora estudiando la génesis de la gran corporación capitalista por la vía de confrontar los casos de Ford y General Motors 3. En Europa, y durante el período de entreguerras, Antonio Gramsci dedicó parte de sus cuadernos de cárcel a intentar analizar lo que tituló Americanismo e fordismo 4. Economistas y sociólogos franceses han polemizado durante lustros sobre la caracterización del sistema de producción de Ford 5. Incluso en Alemania, el término Fordismus tuvo tempranamente sus adeptos y ya en 1925 se daba un curso sobre el mismo en la Universidad
The stagflation crisis and the European automotive industry, 1973-85 Jordi Catalan (Universitat d... more The stagflation crisis and the European automotive industry, 1973-85 Jordi Catalan (Universitat de Barcelona) The dissemination of Fordist techniques in Western Europe during the golden age of capitalism led to terrific rates of auto production growth and massive motorization. However, since the late 1960s this process showed signs of exhaustion because demand from the lowest segments began to stagnate. Moreover, during the seventies, the intensification of labour conflicts, the multiplication of oil prices and the strengthened competitiveness of Japanese rivals in the world market significantly squeezed profits of European car assemblers. Key companies from the main producer countries, such as British Leyland, FIAT, Renault and SEAT, recorded huge losses and were forced to restructure. The degree of success in coping with the stagflation crisis depended on two groups of factors. On the one hand, successful survival depended on strategies followed by the firms to promote economies of scale and scope, process and product innovation, related diversification, internationalization and, sometimes, changes of ownership. On the other hand, firms benefited from long-term path-dependent growth in their countries of origin's industrial systems. Indeed, two of the main winners of the period, Toyota and Volkswagen, can rightly be seen as outstanding examples of Confucian and Rhine capitalism. Both types of coordinated capitalism contributed to the success of their main car assemblers during the stagflation slump. However, since then, global convergence with Anglo-Saxon capitalism may have eroded some of the institutional bases of their strength.
The life-cycle of Barcelona’s automobile industry cluster has lasted more than a century. The mai... more The life-cycle of Barcelona’s automobile industry cluster has lasted more than a century. The main reason for the good performance of the cluster in the long term was the externalities created within the district, which were mainly of a Marshallian type. The second key cause of its satisfactory performance was the adoption of strategic policy. The emergence of hub-firms, which performed as leaders of the district, can be considered the third reason for success. Institutions also mattered, even if they were the least significant factor.
This paper explores the sources of competitive advantage of the Spanish export industrial distric... more This paper explores the sources of competitive advantage of the Spanish export industrial districts that specialised in textile, apparel and footwear products. It shows that most of the nowadays outstanding Spanish firms in fashion-related international markets emerged from 1980s districts. Using a new database, the paper concludes that by then there were as many neo-Marshallian exporting districts dominated by small firms as hub-firm districts coordinated by medium-large companies. This probably allowed the latter to combine the advantages derived from Marshallian external economies (i.e. non-codified knowledge, subsidiary industries and specialized labour force) with those connected to leading firms organizational capabilities.
This article analyzes the causes for the long-term success of the Barcelona (Spain) and São Paulo... more This article analyzes the causes for the long-term success of the Barcelona (Spain) and São Paulo (Brazil) automobile industry clusters. Comparative evidence suggests that both clusters emerged in the early twentieth century through the formation of Marshallian external economies. Nevertheless, neither Barcelona nor São Paulo reached mass automobile production before 1950. The consolidation of the clusters required the adoption of strategic industrial policy during the golden age of capitalism. This policy succeeded in encouraging a few hub firms to undertake mass production by using domestic parts. The strategic policy also favored these leading corporations transferring their technical, organizational, and distribution capabilities, which in turn amplified the advantages of the clusters. Local institutions did not make a significant contribution.
Este articulo identifica las principales crisis globales desde 1929 y analiza sus causas, a parti... more Este articulo identifica las principales crisis globales desde 1929 y analiza sus causas, a partir del estudio de una muestra de 12 economias relevantes. Utiliza la historia comparativa para postular que las grandes depresiones globales han derivado de la combinacion de excesos de especulacion financiera y la falta de acierto en la aplicacion de politicas de regulacion de la demanda.
The article analyzes the relationship between the foreign sector and industrial growth in Spain b... more The article analyzes the relationship between the foreign sector and industrial growth in Spain between the end of the Civil War and the launching of the stabilization plan. The attention is focused on Western Europe. During the Second World War the Francoist regime orientated its trade relationships and economic policy towards the Axis. Such a choice prevented the Spanish economy from fully benefitting from neutrality. Between 1945 and 1949, Spain re-orientated its foreign relationships towards Britain, but domestic economic policy remained essentially the same. The final outcome was dramatic divergence in relation to the pattern of growth in Western Europe. During 1950-58 Spain slightly converged with Western Europe because bottlenecks in energy and raw materials moderated, trade with Europe diversified and economic policy was partially reviewed. In contrast to the experience in the forties, during the following decade the variables which explain Spanish economic growth are the sa...
La experiencia de SEAT durante 1948-72 constituye un caso significativo de exito en la adopcion d... more La experiencia de SEAT durante 1948-72 constituye un caso significativo de exito en la adopcion de politicas estrategicas. El apoyo a un “campeon nacional” localizado en un distrito industrial clave, convirtio a Espana en exportadora neta de automoviles. Ademas, la cooperacion con FIAT en el largo plazo tambien permitio la reduccion del canon pagado por SEAT y la creacion de su Centro Tecnico. La alianza del binomio FIAT-Banco Urquijo sirvio para equilibrar las prioridades publicas con la racionalidad del mercado. Hasta 1972 SEAT fue uno de las empresas mas rentables del INI y se comporto aceptablemente con respecto a la media de empresas industriales espanolas y de constructores europeos de automoviles. En 1972 el gobierno espanol decidio reabrir el mercado espanol a Ford. Esta repentina decision constituyo el primer paso hacia un cambio de politicas, que acabaria provocando una tremenda crisis en la compania de Barcelona y erosionaria la confianza de FIAT en la administracion espa...
The present book can be described as an in depth analysis of the formation of firm's and nations'... more The present book can be described as an in depth analysis of the formation of firm's and nations' competitive advantage. As the title suggests, the book uses a comparative approach to answer to complex questions such as the following: What contribution did the business firm make to modern economic growth? According to the authors: «. . .business history inherently has a comparative and dynamic dimension: firms are seen as complex units that evolve over time and have considerable differences in their structures and internal dynamics .» (p. 12). Although the authors are well acquainted with the main theories of the firm and use them intensively, they state early on that their approach can be considered as Neo-Chandlerian (p. 8). As leading members of the Chandlerian school in Europe, Professors Franco Amatori and Andrea Colli share several basic concerns with the prominent American scholar. First, technical progress is cumulative, but there are substantial discontinuities in history; in fact, three consecutive industrial revolutions opened up enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs and countries. Second, since the Second Industrial Revolution the large firm has performed a central role in leading economies by accumulating technological, organizational and distribution capabilities. Third, the rise of big business brought about significant organizational changes in the West, as the prevalence of the M-form of the firm over the U-form. Last but not least, related diversification was a successful strategy of growth for the large firm in the long-run. This appeared particularly clear during the 1970s-early 1980s crisis, when many American conglomerates, which had opted for non-related diversification, experienced dramatic collapse. The book makes it clear that most of Chandler's huge contribution remains valid, in spite of recent criticisms. However, as the book is rich in the historical analysis of cases, it also offers some qualifications of the classical Chandlerian paradigm. Even in America, the main domain of the large firm, the growth of big business during the emergence of the Second Industrial Revolution went hand in hand with an increase in the number of very innovative small firms. The principal advantage of the latter was flexibility. The role of the M-form may have been slightly idealized, as new work on GM seems to suggest. In fact, Alfred Sloan opposed a complete separation between strategic planning and day-today operations. In his view, the most important thing CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk vided by Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert
Este articulo aborda la historia de la industria del automovil en Espana porque su desarrollo con... more Este articulo aborda la historia de la industria del automovil en Espana porque su desarrollo constituye un caso de exito de las politicas estrategicas en el largo plazo. Muestra que dichas politicas fueron efectivas en modificar la pauta de ventaja comparativa. Tambien argumenta que politicas equiparables fueron adoptadas por los grandes productores de America, Europa y Asia durante el siglo XX. Ademas, el trabajo intenta explicar cuales fueron los factores adicionales que explican la ventaja comparativa revelada de la Espana actual en la produccion de automoviles. Desde 1898 el principal elemento de continuidad residio en la generacion de externalidades de tipo Marshalliano: trabajo cualificado, proveedores especializados y acumulacion de conocimientos de las tecnicas y los mercados
This article analyzes the performance of the Spanish economy during the reconstruction period (19... more This article analyzes the performance of the Spanish economy during the reconstruction period (1939-58) within a long-term comparative framework. Whereas the nineteenth-century concluded with the failure of the industrial revolution in Spain, a new drive in the development process took place during the three decades previous to 1936. The new spurt towards industrialization was aborted by the pattern of reconstruction followed after the Civil War. The Francoist policy-choices were strongly connected to the German and Italian totalitarian attempts of centralizing the economic system, disciplining labour and preparing war. They radically altered the pre-1936 structure of economic incentives, leading to the most unsuccessful path of recovery in Western Europe. Moreover, the speculative tendencies within the Spanish capitalism were strengthened, meanwhile long-term innovation in the productive processes was discouraged.
Espacio Tiempo y Forma. Serie V, Historia Contemporánea, 1994
Agradezco los comentarios de E. SAN ROMÁN a una primera versión de este trabajo que tía sido real... more Agradezco los comentarios de E. SAN ROMÁN a una primera versión de este trabajo que tía sido realizado dentro del proyecto PB93-0080 financiado por la DGICYT. ^ Hace diez años, el profesor VIÑAS lamentaba ya el insuficiente uso de fuentes primarias en VIÑAS (1984) p. 239. ^ El libro colectivo de J. CLAVERA y otros es un clásico de esta línea de investigación. •* VIÑAS eí al (1979). En una selección rápida, cabe citar los dos trabajos sobre el INI a cargo de SCHWARTZ & GONZÁLEZ (1978) y el más reciente de MARTÍN ACEÑA & COMÍN (1991); el estudio de las relaciones bilaterales hispano-alemanas de GARCÍA PÉREZ (1994) y las investigaciones sobre el Servicio Nacional del Trigo a cargo de BARCIELA (1981).
En 1972 SEAT era la primera empresa industrial hispana y lideraba la exportación de automóviles, ... more En 1972 SEAT era la primera empresa industrial hispana y lideraba la exportación de automóviles, gracias a una política favorable a la nacionalización productiva. Pero la política industrial del franquismo tardío dio un giro copernicano con la aprobación de los decretos Ford. Dicho vuelco incluyó, en 1973, la invitación a General Motors a salvar la filial de British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), AUTHI. Más que una imposición gubernamental, la compra de Landaben por SEAT en 1975 constituyó la contrapartida del veto a la entrada de General Motors. La resultante ampliación de plantilla era poco recomendable para una compañía que experimentaba un notable crecimiento de costes laborales desde 1969 y una peligrosa caída de la demanda desde 1974. Además, el cambio de política y el posterior incumplimiento del pacto contribuyeron a enturbiar las relaciones con FIAT, acabando con la "luna de miel" en que se desenvolvían sus relaciones desde 1970.
Hace ya más de un siglo, Alfred Marshall, en la parte dedicada a la organización industrial de su... more Hace ya más de un siglo, Alfred Marshall, en la parte dedicada a la organización industrial de sus Principios de Economía, distinguió entre dos clases de economías derivadas de un aumento en la escala de producción: aquéllas asociadas a la eficiencia obtenida con la ...
El siglo europeo de Ford y los límites del fordismo 1 • JORDI CATALAN Universitat de Barcelona Cu... more El siglo europeo de Ford y los límites del fordismo 1 • JORDI CATALAN Universitat de Barcelona Cuenta David Landes que un periódico estadounidense, pretendiendo analizar los cambios de más envergadura del último milenio, le pidió escoger al principal innovador del mundo de la industria 2. El autor de Prometeo Liberado eligió a Henry Ford. Otro maestro de la historia económica estadounidense, Alfred Chandler, inició su singladura investigadora estudiando la génesis de la gran corporación capitalista por la vía de confrontar los casos de Ford y General Motors 3. En Europa, y durante el período de entreguerras, Antonio Gramsci dedicó parte de sus cuadernos de cárcel a intentar analizar lo que tituló Americanismo e fordismo 4. Economistas y sociólogos franceses han polemizado durante lustros sobre la caracterización del sistema de producción de Ford 5. Incluso en Alemania, el término Fordismus tuvo tempranamente sus adeptos y ya en 1925 se daba un curso sobre el mismo en la Universidad
The stagflation crisis and the European automotive industry, 1973-85 Jordi Catalan (Universitat d... more The stagflation crisis and the European automotive industry, 1973-85 Jordi Catalan (Universitat de Barcelona) The dissemination of Fordist techniques in Western Europe during the golden age of capitalism led to terrific rates of auto production growth and massive motorization. However, since the late 1960s this process showed signs of exhaustion because demand from the lowest segments began to stagnate. Moreover, during the seventies, the intensification of labour conflicts, the multiplication of oil prices and the strengthened competitiveness of Japanese rivals in the world market significantly squeezed profits of European car assemblers. Key companies from the main producer countries, such as British Leyland, FIAT, Renault and SEAT, recorded huge losses and were forced to restructure. The degree of success in coping with the stagflation crisis depended on two groups of factors. On the one hand, successful survival depended on strategies followed by the firms to promote economies of scale and scope, process and product innovation, related diversification, internationalization and, sometimes, changes of ownership. On the other hand, firms benefited from long-term path-dependent growth in their countries of origin's industrial systems. Indeed, two of the main winners of the period, Toyota and Volkswagen, can rightly be seen as outstanding examples of Confucian and Rhine capitalism. Both types of coordinated capitalism contributed to the success of their main car assemblers during the stagflation slump. However, since then, global convergence with Anglo-Saxon capitalism may have eroded some of the institutional bases of their strength.
The life-cycle of Barcelona’s automobile industry cluster has lasted more than a century. The mai... more The life-cycle of Barcelona’s automobile industry cluster has lasted more than a century. The main reason for the good performance of the cluster in the long term was the externalities created within the district, which were mainly of a Marshallian type. The second key cause of its satisfactory performance was the adoption of strategic policy. The emergence of hub-firms, which performed as leaders of the district, can be considered the third reason for success. Institutions also mattered, even if they were the least significant factor.
This paper explores the sources of competitive advantage of the Spanish export industrial distric... more This paper explores the sources of competitive advantage of the Spanish export industrial districts that specialised in textile, apparel and footwear products. It shows that most of the nowadays outstanding Spanish firms in fashion-related international markets emerged from 1980s districts. Using a new database, the paper concludes that by then there were as many neo-Marshallian exporting districts dominated by small firms as hub-firm districts coordinated by medium-large companies. This probably allowed the latter to combine the advantages derived from Marshallian external economies (i.e. non-codified knowledge, subsidiary industries and specialized labour force) with those connected to leading firms organizational capabilities.
This article analyzes the causes for the long-term success of the Barcelona (Spain) and São Paulo... more This article analyzes the causes for the long-term success of the Barcelona (Spain) and São Paulo (Brazil) automobile industry clusters. Comparative evidence suggests that both clusters emerged in the early twentieth century through the formation of Marshallian external economies. Nevertheless, neither Barcelona nor São Paulo reached mass automobile production before 1950. The consolidation of the clusters required the adoption of strategic industrial policy during the golden age of capitalism. This policy succeeded in encouraging a few hub firms to undertake mass production by using domestic parts. The strategic policy also favored these leading corporations transferring their technical, organizational, and distribution capabilities, which in turn amplified the advantages of the clusters. Local institutions did not make a significant contribution.
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