Intergovernmental tension

The present research project had four main objectives:

- First objective: the first objective was to create an instrument to measure territorial tensions in Spain since the Transition until 2014. The purpose of this instrument was to formalize center-periphery cleavage based on a series of items. This instrument was validated thanks to a panel of ten expert judges; Once validated, the degree of reliability was calculated to ensure that the territorial tension index produced (ITT) generated consistent results.

- Second objective: the second objective was to apply the ITT to the Spanish case. In this way, a series of data was collected on the degree of territorial tension between the central State and the different autonomies. An Excel / SPSS database was created that allowed the ITT to be represented graphically in several communities. This instrument allowed to understand and compare the socio-historical trajectory of the autonomous communities in their relations with the political center.

- Third objective: third, another database was made that included different social, economic and political variables (such as the gross domestic product per inhabitant, the political color of the party in the central government or the electoral results of the ethno-nationalist parties) in order to understand which independent variable (s) influenced (s) the tension dynamics between the center and the peripheries in Spain.

- Fourth objective: finally, an attempt was made to collect qualitative data on the evolution of territorial tensions in Spain through semi-structured interviews with regional and state political elites. Three cases seemed especially relevant here: the Basque Country, Catalonia and Andalusia

A mixed methodology was used based on the collection of data extracted from the MAP-LEXTER database of the Ministry of Public Administrations. In parallel, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted in Seville, Madrid and Barcelona with politicians, officials and experts.