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Progressive Futures

From mutual need to growing rift

25 April 2019

Catalan nationalism and the Spanish government

Authors
Luis Cornago Bonal
Author
Javier Padilla
Author
Carmen Villa-Llera
Author
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In a new paper for Policy Network, Luis Cornago Bonal, Javier Padilla and Carmen Villa-Llera shed light on the dynamics of Catalan nationalism and the influence this has on the governance of Spain.

They offer a historical overview of the interrelation between Catalan nationalism and the government of Spain, as well as reviewing the electoral history of Catalonia. They argue that the relationship between Catalan nationalism and the government of Spain has been complex since the very beginning of Spanish democracy, and that structural changes that have occurred in the last years in Catalonia have hindered any possibility of compromise.

The paper analyses changes in public opinion in Catalonia and Spain around the political situation and the territorial model, and explores the implications of all this for Spain’s political landscape, and concludes by highlighting some patterns that can be observed in the portrayal of these issue in the media.

Authors