In pursuit of independence: the political economy of Catalonia's secessionist movement

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the fiscal dimensions of recent support for C atalan secession. Since the region is a cultural community distinct from the rest of S pain, much research has spotlighted national identity features in the calculus of C atalan political aspirations. This study supplements this work by contextualising support for C atalan independence in terms of the state's fiscal arrangements with the use of public opinion survey data. Even after controlling for self‐reported cultural identity and other relevant factors, it argues that support for independence is a function of grievances rooted in the desire for C atalonia to assume responsibility for taxation and spending policy. Meanwhile, it validates some observations about C atalonia's separatist movement, while bringing others into question, and offers support for the theoretical framework linking political economy to secessionism. The results suggest that S pain might be able to stave off C atalonia's separatist bid through some form of political and taxation policy reconfiguration, with the caveats that cultural identity factors and the existence of other separatist movements across the country complicate this strategy.