ABSTRACT

Despite being a region characterized by its dynamic industrial structure, Catalonia has long suffered from the lack of appropriated industrial technological innovation. Such difficulties have been a constant feature of the Catalan model of economic development. As in most of the European regions with an industrial tradition, the early industrial revolution was based on market expansion, agricultural productivity (giving rise to a massive labour migration to the towns and cities) and the introduction of sophisticated machinery in the production processes. Catalan industry did not itself produce technological innovations, but rather introduced them from abroad. The historical problems of technological innovation in Catalonia were mainly related to two phenomena: the traditionally closed nature of the Spanish market and the region’s low investment in research. Spain has been the “natural” market for Catalan products for many decades. The closed market affected the nature of product competition and the forms of innovation processes in the industrial world. The lack of strong market incentives prevented investment in endogenous technology, and technological innovations were mostly imported. Yet, this trend does not mean an obstacle for technological development per se. The main problem in Spain and Catalonia was that such foreign novelties were almost always introduced late, reducing the possibilities for a process of “learning by using” that would have helped reverse the situation.