POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CONFLICT: SECESSION IN THE EU
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Keywords | Autonomous communities of Spain; Catalonia; HHI; Preference heterogeneity; Secession |
| Description | Declaration of Independence of Catalonia is consistent with recent secessionist tensions in Europe. After referendum on Scottish independence and following plebiscite on Brexit, latent separatist forces in Spain, Italy or Belgium are waking up. Could we predict secessionist tendencies? In this paper we understand secession as conflict, which emerges because of the heterogeneity of preferences. The aim of this study is to measure heterogeneity of preferences within Spain and further to identify other Spanish regions with the latent secessionist factors. Data on the election results in Spain as well as data on the linguistic and religious fractionalisation and economic performance were used. We showed using the cluster analysis and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index that Catalan preferences differ significantly from the rest of Spain. Furthermore we identified Basque Country, Galicia, Valencia, Navarre and Canary Islands as next potential secessionist regions. Finally, we discuss fragility of EU countries in terms of further secessionist tensions. |
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