ABSTRACT
Multilevel governance in Catalonia has an internal nature that is just as complex as its position within pluri-national frameworks. The Catalan system of local powers contains a high density of territorial and institutional structures. In Spain, analyzing territorial complexity requires reference to two simultaneous dynamics, 'Europeanization' and 'territorialization', understood respectively as relocation processes of government towards the European Union (EU) and towards autonomous communities and local governments. An analysis of the last 20 years almost supports in part both the positive and the negative aspects of this complex and fragmented intergovernmental reality within Catalonia. The political science literature usually considers public spending and public employment figures excessively inconsistent as principal indicators of government capacities. The urban-development dimension. The model of the massive expansion in population and housing, and the degeneration of the inner city, came to a terminal crisis at the hands of the deindustrialization process.
