Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
mixture of developments resulting, not from technological innovations, but from
new markets and new evaluations of resources.
One alternative way to view recent Spanish development patterns is indeed in
terms of a new resource orientation. For the USA, a general tendency has been
observed since the 1960s for industries to decline in the northeastern states of
older industrialization, and for new industries to rise that are associated either
with the resources of oil and irrigated farming, or with quality-of-life conditions
for the workers and especially the executives of firms. This general trend has
been described as the rise of the “Sunbelt” as opposed to the “Snowbelt” in the
north, or more derogatorily, the “Rustbelt”, in reference to outdated
manufacturing industries (Sternlieb & Hughes 1978).
An argument can be made that there is a new sunbelt in the south of Europe,
contrasting with the snowbelt of the northern countries and regions. On this
analysis, the southern regions have attracted new industries and other activities
because they provide a more attractive environment for the executives and other
workers. Whereas older industries were confined by their need for mining
products, transport and access to markets, the new ones are footloose and can
choose new regions where people enjoy living. Spain, particularly coastal Spain,
provides a pleasant physical environment with a good climate, scenery, access to
water and mountains, while the local urban environment is also pleasant, with
many small cities offering good facilities for education, health and housing.
Development of intensive irrigated agriculture has certainly benefited from the
fine Mediterranean winter climate, providing export crops to western Europe.
The tourism sector, including hotels, restaurants and all leisure facilities, has
equally benefited from the positive environmental features (Morris 1992b).
There is a need, however, to extend this environmental or resource model of
regional development. Much of the new development has been in the small
industries of the Mediterranean coast, which have been successful in growing to
feed both domestic and export markets. The manufacturing industries are in such
sectors as electronics (Barcelona), car manufacturing (Valencia), ceramics
(Castellon), leather goods and shoes (Alicante). Many rely on flexible labour
forces with moderate skills, and much family labour. In many ways they are like
the firms of the Third Italy, and for comparable reasons. Having been bypassed
by the earlier industrialization phases, they held on to small family businesses
and to the idea of entrepreneurship, which has thereafter benefited them when
the opportunity for growth appeared (Naylon 1992).
Feeding all the growth sectors has been a major migration process in Spain,
which has seen at least 5.7 million people enter into interregional migration over
the 1962-76 period (Barke & Park 1994). Much of the migration was from
Andalucia to Madrid and Barcelona, a movement in classical form to combine
northern capital with southern cheap labour, giving Spain a competitive
advantage in many industries with moderate skill requirements.
A third strand of explanation, beyond that of the sunbelt and
flexible industries, concerns the role of decentralization, which has been
