In this paper we use patent statistics in order to analyse the structure of the Spanish economy between 1759 and 1878. We depart from the hypothesis that inventive activity is demand driven. The results show how at the beginning of the Spanish industrialisation the majority of patents were concentrated in a few innovative sectors. Besides the textile and basic metal industries, it is possible to find some other sectors that have not usually been linked to technical change nor to productivity growth during that period. This is the case for the food, beverages and tobacco industries, machinery and equipment as well as chemical, construction and services sectors. A detailed analysis of patent records makes it possible to study the characteristics and peculiarities of the technical progress concerning each one of these sectors.

Landlord-peasant land relationships embodied in different management strategies and forms of possession, constitute a central chapter in the medieval and modern agriculture history of the Castilian crown. In the following text, we analyse its evolution within the extended monastic patrimony of León, connecting it to social and economic circumstances between the end of XIIth century and the beginning of the XVIth century. Understanding them becomes all the more important since they play a key role in the explanation of exploitation field patterns applied in the modern era and of the agriculture system where they thrived.

Rural andalusí settlements include both residential and hydraulic zones in their areas of political influence. These hydraulic zones, usually small and medium-sized, are the result of a previous design carried out by the peasant communities and determined by water collecting and the features of the terrain. This paper focusses on some hydraulic systems located in the old andalusí administrative district of Culla in the Spanish province of Castellón. Different field work techniques along with toponyms, documents and other references are used in this research.

The aim of this study is to establish the broad outlines of the changes in the economy of Majorca between 1830 and 1930. It focusses in two major areas: the evolution of the pre-industrial agricultural model, with the advance of crops meeting a growing demand from commercial networks (almonds, wines, citrus fruits), and, in particular, the development of industry sustained by non-leading sectors, such as the production of soap, woollen cloth and footwear. In the author's opinion the changes analysed show that the Majorcan economy had a much more solid and diversified base than has hitherto been supposed.

I study the introduction of electricity in Spain (1875–1900) and the consolidation of this industry (1900–1950), from a managerial perspective. The private sector took the lead. The State's participation was subsidiary, helping to create an institutional and legal framework. Firms became local monopolies, and acted jointed as an oligopoly in their relationships with the Administration. Under protected markets and little regulation, their production and pricing strategies aimed at short run profit maximization. As a result, the Spanish consumer was not well attended, and electricity contributed only mildly to growth.

El futuro es, por definición, perfectamente incierto. En este final del siglo XX no podemos asegurar cuál va a ser la trayectoria de la economía española y de la economía catalana en los próximos años y menos aún en un período de tiempo más largo. Pero sí podemos entrever algunas oportunidades y algunos riesgos. Dependerá, en gran parte, de la capacidad de entender los problemas que dificultan el crecimiento potencial de la economía y los cambios de nuestro entorno, y de la forma en que se afronten esos problemas y esos cambios.

La historia económica se dedica justamente a acumular y a analizar la evidencia disponible sobre la realidad económica del pasado —que alcanza hasta ahora mismo—, en la convicción de que su conocimiento ha de ayudar a la toma de decisiones en cada momento y a construir un futuro colectivo mejor. Se entiende que lo que viene sucediendo siempre, es muy probable que siga ocurriendo.