12 Comments
User's avatar
Robson's avatar

There are also about 250 million Portuguese speakers that can be fluent in Spanish in less than 6 months and already share most of the culture.

Expand full comment
Carpenter Morrison's avatar

Right, with strong track records in aerospace, oil extraction, and crop genetics. Maybe a dengue vax, too

Expand full comment
Jim's avatar

"As a Jewish convert to Orthodox Christianity with a fairly wide set of historical books under my belt, it troubles me to see some hierarchs and channels following the world's narrative about "anti-Semitism" and all the things that have been done to "combat anti-Semitism." I'll tell you directly, as a 100% pure blooded Ashkenazi man, how to fix "anti-Semitism:" Anti-Semitism will end when faithless Jews leave other groups of people alone and stop trying to transform their nations and cultures in ways that invariably harm the populations in question. It is really not that complicated.”

– Brother Augustine

Expand full comment
Lester's avatar

Enjoyed reading these reflections.

Re. "The Big Question" #17. What about the impact of EU funding on Spanish economic development (1986-2006)

Expand full comment
Carpenter Morrison's avatar

Outsourcing of European industry, too. Barcelona and Bilbao are important industrial hubs near France. When we see Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Baltics, Slovenia, Croatia the Spanish success story looks less surprising

Expand full comment
Alfred Jensen's avatar

Extremely superficial (tourist-level) view. Spain pathological plundering and chronical corruption, hand in and with the survival of franco-ist elites make the country a bad joke. Accountability and a fair judiciary is non existent. Poverty spreads across vast rural areas (not to the level of Albania, ie. misery). Very misconstruded portray

Expand full comment
L3's avatar

Do entrepreneurs stay or leave?

Expand full comment
IJW's avatar

You are surprised Spain has well stock grocery stores? This is a first world country in Europe, not Soviet Russia.

Expand full comment
Aaron's avatar

Thank you for this post. I was in Barcelona for 2 days earlier this week and my economics curious 10 year old son asked how the people selling stuff on the street around Sagrada Família were able to make a living. I wasn’t sure at the time, but I have an answer now!

Expand full comment
Kaila Krayewski's avatar

Wow this is a really fascinating post. As far as I'm aware of, it's a 5-year wait until you can get your residency permit for most migrants. Just out of curiosity, and not because I'm planning on applying for them, but what benefits are migrants eligible for the moment they register themselves in Spain? (I'm moving to Valencia from Thailand next month!)

Expand full comment
David R Henderson's avatar

"Who really thinks that people have a right to the labor of others, but no right to labor themselves?"

Great line.

Expand full comment
Nobodyknowsnothing's avatar

san sebastián is where the real foodies hang out in Spain and is a jewel!

Expand full comment