Entrepreneurial structure of the mercantile company in pre-industrial Catalonia

The mercantile company was the basic form of enterprise in pre-industrial Catalonia. The aim of this paper is to study the formation and development of the mercantile companies in Barcelona whose end was the wholesale and retail sale of textiles in the botigues de teles (textile retail shops) throughout the eighteenth century. These firms were officially registered before a notary and their deeds reveal how these establishments were administered and managed.The study covers a sample of 121 mercantile companies, and the articles and documentation that were put into effect by 32 notaries who were active in Barcelona in the 18th century have been consulted in their entirety. From an initial selection of documentation, a total of 228 deeds registering companies have been found, 107 of which (47%) relate to the creation of companies whose various activities were centred in taverns, textile manufacturing, braiding.... While the 121 companies, which make up our sample and which account for 53% of the deeds registered with the notaries mentioned above, focused exclusively on the management of textile retail shops located in the commercial heart of the city. Thus one point of interest that the documentation reveals is that the majority of the mercantile companies registered by Barcelona notaries throughout the 18th century were establishments which traded in textiles. The first part of the article focuses on the structural characteristics of these enterprises, the number and socio-professional status of the partners and the extent of each partner s involvement in the administration and management. The second part of the article examines the capital investment made by each partner, their rights and obligations agreed on, the sharing out of profits and possible losses and the duration of the companies. The final aim of the paper is to highlight the evolution of these companies through one specific case.

Socio-economic inequalities in health in Catalonia

In this paper we measure the degree of income related inequality in mental health as measured by the GHQ instrument and general health as measured by the EQOL-5D instrument for the Catalan population. We find that income is the main contributor to inequality, although the share of inequality in mental health that can be explained by income is much greater than the corresponding share of inequality in general health. We also find that the variation in demographic structure reduces income related inequality in mental health but increases income related inequality in general health. The regional variations in both instruments for health are striking, with the Barcelona districts faring relatively bad with respect to the rest of geographical areas and Lleida being the health region where, all else held equal, the population reports the greatest level of health. A big share of inequality in the two health measures, but specially mental health, is due to the favourable position in both health and income of those who enjoy an indefinite contract with respect to the rest of individuals. We also find that risky working conditions affect both health measures and are able to explain an important share of socio-economic inequality.

Social spending and demographics: The role of public policies in the intergenerational redistribution of income. Empirical evidence from Spain and Catalonia

The demographic shift underway in Southern Europe requires a revision of some of thefundamental principles of the traditional welfare state. We analyze the evolution of several aspects of welfare and social expenditure over the last two decades. We find that in the context of the present demographic changes and real estate boom current social and pension policy leads to a new distribution of benefits and burdens which is highly intergenerationally unequal. We argue for a revised definition of public policy based on Musgrave's proposition as a possible rule for an intergenerationally fair distribution.

University admission marks in Catalonia: Some highlights from the empirical research

The results of the examinations taken by graduated high school studentswho want to enrol at a Catalan university are here studied. To do so,the authors address several issues related to the equity of the system:reliability of grading, difficulty and discrimination power of the exams.The general emphasis is put upon the concurrent research and empiricalevidence about the properties of the examination items and scores. Aftera discussion about the limitations of the exams' format and appropriatenessof the instruments used in the study, the article concludes with somesuggestions to improve such examinations.

Les Unitats de paisatge de les terres de Girona

El paisatge de les comarques gironines destaca per la seva varietat. Aquest fet és el resultat de la combinació d'un medi biofísic molt divers amb una activitat humana secular. Cal tenir present que a les terres gironines hi estan representades totes les grans unitats de relleu de Catalunya, des dels Pirineus fins a les planes i serralades costaneres

Un Nou enfocament per a l'estudi de les inundacions històriques a la ciutat de Girona

Aquest article proposa un nou marcd'estudi de les inundacions històriques a la ciutat de Girona. Aquest enfocament,el qual es coneix amb el nom d'enfocament contextual, té les arrels enla reflexió geogràfica sobre els riscos naturals endegada a Nord-amèrica ja fa més de cinquanta anys i posa l'èmfasi en la dimensió humana d'aquests fenòmensdefinida geogràficament i històrica, sense oblidar, però, els paràmetresfísics de les inundacions en el territori concret que s'estigui estudiant

Canvis i permanències a les closes de l'Alt Empordà

Una de les causes principals que van motivar la creació del Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà va ser, indiscutiblement, la potencialitat de les zones marjalenques empordaneses d'acollir un gran nombre i varietat d'aus. El marc legislatiu que va fer efectiva la protecció, però, no limitava la seva acció a aquest grup, sinó que l'estenia al conjunt de flora i fauna present a la zona, i a tots els sistemes propers que n'havien de garantir la permanència. Així, a més de definir-se unes àrees de màxima protecció sota la denominació de Reserves Naturals Integrals, els límits del PNAE engloben àrees potser menys emblemàtiques, però que són clau per al manteniment del conjunt de sistemes d'aiguamolls a l'Alt Empordà. El present article se centra en un d'aquests sistemes, que tradicionalment ha realitzat un paper d'actor secundari, però que té unes qualitats que, almenys des d'una aproximació geogràfica, el converteixen en protagonista. Es tracta de les closes

Les Unitats de paisatge geogràfic a l'entorn de Figueres i els reptes de la seva gestió al llindar del segle XXI

L’any 2001, la Càtedra de Geografia i Pensament Territorial de la Universitat de Girona va rebre l’encàrrec de l’Ajuntament de Figueres d’analitzar les característiques de l’espai no urbanitzat del municipi i voltants immediats, sobretot des de la seva perspectiva paisatgística i del medi natural. Aquest encàrrec s’emmarcava dins dels estudis previs a la revisió del Pla general d’ordenació urbana de Figueres. El resultat fou la confecció del document que porta per títol: “Estudi del medi natural i del paisatge geogràfic de Figueres”. Per mitjà d’aquesta comunicació, es volen oferir els resultats més rellevants als quals s’arribà llavors. Es farà un cop d’ull a les unitats de paisatge geogràfic del municipi de Figueres identificades en el treball, quines són les seves característiques, els seus potencials però també les seves amenaces. El document havia de ser una eina que ajudés a incorporar, adequadament, els valors que apleguen aquests paisatges i espais a l’ordenació futura del municipi. D’aquí que, al text, s’acabin proposant algunes línies d’actuació per a millorar-ne la seva gestió, sobretot des del punt de vista urbanístic

L'evolució del paisatge de les closes: 1957-2001

Comunicació on es pretenen presentar alguns dels resultats més significatius de la investigació amb referència a l’evolució de les cobertes del sòl a l’Alt Empordà entre 1957-2001, i parant especial atenció a les transformacions identificades en el paratge de closes

La litologia de les comarques gironines

Descripció dels trets més rellevants de la constitució litològica de les unitats de relleu del Pirineu, de la depressió Central i del Sistema Mediterrani

Anàlisi geomètrica del Diaclasat de les Guilleries en el sector de la Vall del Ter entre els embassaments del Pasteral i Susqueda (Girona)

The Guilleries are a small and mountainous area located in the north-westem part of the Catalonian Coastal Ranges where metamorphic and igneous Paleozoic rocks are exposed. After the main hercynian folding this area was affected by a brittle deformation that is mainly manifested by the intrusion of a very large number of dykes of granodiorite and the development of a complex joint system. Trends of dykes indicate that their intrusion was related to a SE-NW extension, whose estimated value is 40% on an average. This extension seems to stand, although without any associated igneous event, with the development of NE-SW directed joints which make the main set. Five families more were developed later, onegently-dipping and fou upright; the latter trending roughly SE-NW, ENE-WSW, ESE-WNW and N-S. AU the joint sets appear in the metasedimentary Paleozoic rocks and in the hercynian intrusive bodies. Concerning the ages, joints that belong to the NE-SW and SE-NW directed sets and also those slightly dipping have been attributed to the late-hercynian times and all the other are considered to be later

A propòsit de les suposades pintures i gravats prehistòrics de la cova d'en Dayna (Romanyà de la Selva, Baix Empordà)

Descripció dels gravats i pintures prehistòriques del Dolmen de la Cova d'en Dayna, a Romanyà de la Selva (Baix Empordà)

Previsió d'impactes en el medi físic, derivats de l'explotació de les formacions geològiques d'interés per a la producció d'àrids, a la zona del curs mitjà del Riu Fluvià (La Garrotxa)

Potential mining of the pliocene and quaternary geological formations for the aggregate production along the medium course of the Fluvil river is likely to be carried out through gravel pits. The most significant environmental impacts are envisaged to occur during site preparation and extraction of aggregate. Several environmental impacts types have been considered: variation of water table, reduction of soil and vegetation, development of unbalanced land-forms and deterioration of landscape

Participació de les aigües subterrànies en la gènesi d'ambients palustres continentals: el cas dels prats de Sant Sebastià (Caldes de Malavella, Girona)

The area known as 'prats de Sant Sebastià' is in Caldes de Malavella. It is part of the wetlands located in the south-eastern end of the Selva Basin. Several areas with unusually high conductivity (EC up to 24,500 uS/cm) have been identified in this place. This fact allows highly specialised and comparatively rare botanical species to grow in this area. These saline soils follow a north-south line-up. The geophysical data, obtained with a field conductivemeter (EM 31), show that this superficial line-up continues in the subsoil. In addition to this, the conductivity cartography, made for an electromagnetic exploration depth of 6 meters, shows that the width of the region where these salinity anomalies take place increases in depth. When included in the hidrogeological context of this sector of the Selva Basin, these data bring new elements for the study of the genesis and working of these marshy environments.The model that future research will have to confirm, maintains that the groundwater discharges coming from the underlying hydrogeothermal aquifer are a conditioning factor of the aforementioned phenomenon. This ascending flow of highly mineralised waters (TDS of about 3,500 mg/l) can produce and keep stable the soil salinity

El modelat del massís de Begur

In the present paper, the diverse morphologies observed in the Begur Mountain Range are described and the controlling development factors and their relationships are analized. Finally, a systematics of the different rock types macro and microforms is presented