ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the appraisal of the main economic consequences of the eventual birth of Catalonia as a new independent state. The biggest economic opportunities for an independent Catalonia would have to do with improvements in both the control of its fiscal resources and the design and implementation of its own public policies. The Scottish government, one of the main agents advocating secession, made the case for independence by insisting, among other things, on the negative impact on growth and prosperity of the high levels of income inequality caused by one-size-fits-all economic policies for the whole UK. It might be illustrative to compare the situation of foreign trade in Catalonia with that of Scotland, another European region that has experienced a vigorous secessionist movement, resulting in the holding of a self-determination referendum on 18 September 2014, in which the majority of voters rejected the possibility of Scotland becoming an independent country.
