Alguien escribió:If Catalonia were to form its own sovereign country, its 7.5 million residents would make it the 99th most populous in the world. The gross domestic product of the region—$314 billion—would rank it as the 34th largest economy, with a GDP exceeding those of Portugal, Hong Kong, and Egypt, to name a few. Its GDP per capita, at $35,000, is greater than that of South Korea, Israel, and Italy. It’s therefore likely that an independent Catalonia would fare better than many on the global economic stage. That fact alone, however, isn’t enough to justify outright separation. The relevant question is whether or not the region’s fiscal relationship with the rest of Spain is more of a detriment than a benefit.
Alguien escribió:To give some numbers, Catalonia serves as home to approximately 20 percent of Spain’s total economic activity, and contributes roughly 25 percent of the central government’s tax revenue.
Madrid, however, directs a mere 11 percent of its spending back toward the region. Some officials in Barcelona claim that their constituents pay about $19 billion more to the nation’s capital each year than they receive in return. An economically imperiled Spain has no choice but to redirect some of the revenue from its most booming region toward its struggling ones. Nevertheless, the current system seems to unfairly and ironically punish Catalonians for their relative success. It’s easy to see why 60 percent of the area’s population wants out.
Alguien escribió:The very foundation of liberal democracy is the citizenry’s right to abandon a government that fails to serve their interests and construct another, more effective one. There are few better contemporary examples of such a situation than Catalonia’s one-sided economic relationship with the central Spanish government. Whether they decide to stay or to leave, therefore, Catalonians should at least be given the power to choose their own fate.
http://harvardpolitics.com/world/catalonia-contention/