Local business systems and territories of progress in Andalusia, 1886-1959

Abstract

Economic change is concentrated in small territorial units —cities or counties— before spreading to the immediate space. This article aims to point out the relationship between space and economic development, from the concept of territory of progress. We understand that «territories of progress» are those spaces which assimilate organizational patterns, technological trends and trade patterns of the most advanced regions in a particular historical moment. The case study is Andalusia, a region of southwestern Europe, between 1886 and 1959. First, we locate the economic activity in local business systems. Subsequently, we identified those business systems became territories of progress, using indicators of network theory. The research, based on information from the Commercial Registers, concludes that in Andalusia, during the period studied, there were few areas of progress, which conditioned the economic performance of the region.