I apologize in advance for the lack of scientific consistency of the post, but I couldn't resist the temptation to write. I've just come back from Munich, the Bavarian capital, among the finest European cities and with one of the busiest airports, following Frankfurt's example. I was living there for several months in 2003 and I now just visited the city for 3 days. Something that really shocked me is the convergence of the cost of living with Barcelona, the Catalan metropolis. Having dinner at the finest or the most casual restaurants costs the same in both cities. Having a beer or a cocktail or attending a concert or clubbing, the same as well. Buying an apartment in the downtown neighborhoods is between 50% and twice as much expensive in Barcelona. And needless to say that the public transportations and publics services work much better in the Bavarian capital. Of course, I forgot, on the other side of the account, salaries are likely to be 30% or 40% higher in Bavaria. The following step in my description is finding answers to this kind of social trap in which we the citizens of Barcelona live. No easy answers. I would just start suggesting that Bavarians work better, finer. Is that a matter of productivity? I would keep going saying that there is no such a real state bubble in that part of Europe. Is that a matter of local corruption? Last, I would suggest Bavaria is a "Freistaat" with a substantially higher degree of financial autonomy. Is that a matter of justice? We'll keep thinking while we are trapped.
31.12.06
The comparison of Barcelona to other European capitals is the proof that our growth model is driving us into a social trap
I apologize in advance for the lack of scientific consistency of the post, but I couldn't resist the temptation to write. I've just come back from Munich, the Bavarian capital, among the finest European cities and with one of the busiest airports, following Frankfurt's example. I was living there for several months in 2003 and I now just visited the city for 3 days. Something that really shocked me is the convergence of the cost of living with Barcelona, the Catalan metropolis. Having dinner at the finest or the most casual restaurants costs the same in both cities. Having a beer or a cocktail or attending a concert or clubbing, the same as well. Buying an apartment in the downtown neighborhoods is between 50% and twice as much expensive in Barcelona. And needless to say that the public transportations and publics services work much better in the Bavarian capital. Of course, I forgot, on the other side of the account, salaries are likely to be 30% or 40% higher in Bavaria. The following step in my description is finding answers to this kind of social trap in which we the citizens of Barcelona live. No easy answers. I would just start suggesting that Bavarians work better, finer. Is that a matter of productivity? I would keep going saying that there is no such a real state bubble in that part of Europe. Is that a matter of local corruption? Last, I would suggest Bavaria is a "Freistaat" with a substantially higher degree of financial autonomy. Is that a matter of justice? We'll keep thinking while we are trapped.
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Y lo del soberanismo no nacionalista, en relación con esta cuestión, ¿cómo operaría?
Lola, muy buena pregunta. Te contesto con un ejemplo y otra pregunta. Por tamaño, nivel de desarrollo (no el de hoy, sino el de hace unos años) y potencialidad de crecimiento, podría una Cataluña soberana parecerse más a Irlanda que a Sicilia? Tengo la esperanza que sí sería posible. Los dublineses pagan una vivienda muy cara pero no viven en la trampa social catalanoespañola. Mejores salarios y mejores servicios compensan los precios elevados.
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