OECD Territorial Reviews : The Valencian Central Districts, Spain 2001.

171 Pages·2001·4.711 MB·English

by  OECD

«
TERRITORIAL ECONOMY
OECD Territorial
OECD Territorial Reviews
Reviews
The Valencian Central Districts,
Spain
The Valencian
The Valencian Central Districts, composed of 155 municipalities belonging to two
Central Districts,
different provinces in the region of Valencia, produce large quantities of Spanish
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textiles, toys, and tourism services. These activities have been highly competitive
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up to now despite the small size of the enterprises, their specialisation in so called C
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sunset industries, the relatively small size of towns in the area and the lack of T
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appropriate infrastructures. rr
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The future of the region in an era of globalisation is uncertain, though. At a time ia
when producer services are becoming critical to the success of goods producing l R TERRITORIAL ECONOMY
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industries, will the small settlements that characterise the Valencian Central v
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Districts be able to maintain their competitive position? And should they find w
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new forms of partnership in order to increase their capacity to make investments?
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The aim of this Territorial Review is to provide practical policy advice on how h
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the area can respond to new challenges by enhancing potential opportunities.

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The Territorial Review of The Valencian Central Districts is integrated in a wider le
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programme of National and Regional Territorial Reviews undertaken by the OECD c
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Territorial Development Policy Committee. The overall aim of the territorial review a
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series is to provide practical policy advice to governments. Territorial reviews
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focus on three types of regions (urban, intermediate, rural). They contribute to a e
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richer understanding of the challenges these regions face and the latitude for t
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practical solutions.
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www.oecd.org
ISBN 92-64-18698-0
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OECD Territorial Reviews
The Valencian Central
Districts, Spain
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
fauxtitre.fm Page 2 Monday, June 11, 2001 2:45 PM
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960,
and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed:
– to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a
rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial
stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy;
– to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member
countries in the process of economic development; and
– to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-
discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations.
The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United
Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members
subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan
(28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New
Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994), the Czech Republic
(21stDecember1995), Hungary (7th May 1996), Poland (22ndNovember1996),
Korea (12th December 1996) and the Slovak Republic (14th December2000). The
Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD
(Article 13 of the OECD Convention).
Publié en français sous le titre :
EXAMENS TERRITORIAUX DE L’OCDE
Districts Centraux de Valence, Espagne
© OECD 2001
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0105/266 GB 19/06/01 12:14 Page 3 G4/400 Travail:CARTATOUT:0105/266:
Foreword
The globalisation of trade and economic activity is increasingly testing the
ability of regional economies to adapt and exploit or maintain their competitive
edge. There is a tendency for performance gaps to widen between regions, and the
cost of maintaining cohesion is increasing. On the other hand rapid technological
change, extended markets and greater use of knowledge are offering new oppor-
tunities for local and regional development but demand further investment from
enterprises, reorganisation of labour and production, skills upgrading and
improvements in the local environment.
Amid this change and turbulence, regions continue to follow very different
paths. Some regions are doing well in the current phase of the growth cycle and are
driving growth. Others are less successful at capturing trade and additional eco-
nomic activities. Many territories with poor links to the sources of prosperity,
afflicted by migration, notably of young people, and lagging behind with respect to
infrastructure and private investment are finding it difficult to keep up with the
general trend. At the same time central governments are no longer the sole
provider of territorial policy. The vertical distribution of power between the differ-
ent tiers of government needs to be reassessed as well as the decentralisation of
fiscal resources in order to better respond to the expectations of the public and
improve policy efficiency. All these trends are leading public authorities to rethink
their policies and strategies.
The Territorial Development Policy Committee (TDPC) was created at the
beginning of 1999 to assist governments with a forum for discussing the above
issues. Within this framework, the TDPC has adopted a programme of work that
puts its main focus on reviewing Member countries’ territorial policies and on eval-
uating their impact at regional level. The objectives of Territorial reviews are:
a)identify the nature and scale of territorial challenges using a common analytical
framework; b)assist governments in the assessment and improvement of their ter-
ritorial policy, using comparative policy analysis; c)assess the distribution of com-
petencies and resources among the different levels of governments; and d)identi-
fy and disseminate information on best practices regarding territorial policy.
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The Valencian Central Districts, Spain
The Committee produces two types of reviews:
Territorial reviews at the national level. Requested by national authorities, they
analyse trends in regional performances and institutional settings, focus on poli-
cies to reduce territorial disparities and to assist regions in developing competi-
tive advantages. They also concentrate on the governance framework, on the
impact of national non-territorial policies on subnational entities and on specific
aspects of fiscal federalism. The final report proposes territorial policy recommen-
dations.
Territorial Reviews at the regional level. Requested by subnational authorities (local
or regional) with the agreement of national ones, they concentrate on strategies for
development of the respective entity. They in particular identify the role of key
demographic, socio-economic, environmental, technological and institutional fac-
tors in explaining the performance of regions. Comparative analysis with regions of
the same type is undertaken using the typologyelaborated by the Secretariat. The
final report proposes development policy recommendations.
Bernard Hugonnier,
Director,
Territorial Development Service
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Acknowledgements
This report presents the economic situation and development prospects of
theComarcas Centrales Valencianas, an intermediate region situated between the
provinces of Alicante and Valencia, and is undertaken in the context of the new Ter-
ritorial Reviews series of the OECD Territorial Development Service(TDS).
This document is based on socio-economic background information and sta-
tistics provided through reports written by: Dr.Josep-AntoniYbarra, Departamen-
to Economía Aplicada-Política Econòmica, Universitat d’Alacant, Spain;
Dr. Julia Salom, Departamento de Geografía, Universitat de València, Spain;
Dr. Juan M. Albertos, Departamento de Geografía, Universitat de València, Spain;
Dr.Elisabeth Delios España, Oficina de Gestión Proyecto CONCERCOST, Desarrol-
lo de Proyectos e Iniciativas(DPI), Spain.
Special mention has to be made to Dr. Josep-Antoni Ybarra who also con-
tributed to the identification of key policy issues in the region of study.
Part of the analysis and written contributions were provided by: Ms. Danielle
Mazzonis, Director of ERVET, Italy; Mr.HansjörgBlöchliger, BSS Consulting, Basel,
Switzerland; Mr. Jean Cinq-Mars, Director of the Pollution Prevention and Control
Division of the OECD, Canada; Ms.EulaliaRifeSoler, NOMISMA, Italy.
This document was produced and co-ordinated by Mr. Stefano Barbieri
(Administrator), under the direction of Mr.MarioPezzini (Director), of the Territor-
ial Reviews Division of the OECD.
The project was sponsored and financed by: the OECD; the Consortium of the
Xarxa de Ciutats de les Comarques Centrals Valencianes, (composed of the Munic-
ipalities of Alcoy, Cocentaina, Dénia, Gandia, Ibi, Oliva, Ontinyent, Tavernes de la
Valldigna i Xàtiva and the Associations of Cities of la Costera-Canal, la Safor and La
Vall d’Albaida); Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo and Caixa Ontynient.
Special thanks have to be made to: Mr.EnriqueMasia, Director of DATO and Pro-
fessor of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain; Mr. Cebrià Molinero Lloret,
Director of Concercost Project, Spain; Ms.VictoriaGranda, Director of APROIBI, Spain;
and Mr. Alfonso Rus Terol, President of the Consorcio de las Comarcas Centrales
Valencianas, Spain. 5
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Table of contents
Foreword...................................................................................................................... 3
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................... 5
Assessment and summary of policy recommendations....................................... 12
1. The Valencian Central Districts: an example of a dynamic but unstable inter-
mediate region..................................................................................................... 12
2. Proposed strategies and development policies for the CCV........................ 13
Part 1. Intermediate regions: trends and outlook
Introduction............................................................................................................... 19
Chapter1. Profile and identification of intermediate regions............................ 21
1. Population and location...................................................................................... 21
2. Structure of economic activity............................................................................ 25
Chapter2. A mixed record for intermediate regions............................................ 29
1. The status of intermediate regions as a whole................................................ 29
2. The status of specific categories of intermediate regions............................. 32
Chapter3. Factors of growth and reasons for decline......................................... 35
1. Strengths in common........................................................................................... 35
2. Weaknesses in common...................................................................................... 36
Chapter4. Shifting trends in intermediate regions............................................... 39
1. Unstable growth................................................................................................... 39
2. Economic diversification..................................................................................... 39
3. Job insecurity........................................................................................................ 39
4. The problem of adapting to constant technological change......................... 39
6 5. Loss of competitive advantages........................................................................ 39
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Table of contents
Chapter5. Development strategies and examples of best practice
in intermediate regions........................................................................... 41
1. Global policies..................................................................................................... 43
2. Specific policies................................................................................................... 46
Chapter6. Questions for the future.......................................................................... 49
1. How can the economy of intermediate regions be made more competitive
internationally?..................................................................................................... 49
2. How can intermediate regions participate in the new economy?................ 49
3. How can inter-city co-operation be promoted in intermediate regions?.... 50
4. How can tourism support local industries?...................................................... 50
conclusions................................................................................................................... 51
Annex 1. Regional typology....................................................................................... 52
Part 2. Regional audit: the Valencian Central Districts
Chapter 1. Settlement, accessibility, and labour market..................................... 57
1. Settlement and population................................................................................ 57
2. Accessibility and infrastructures........................................................................ 63
3. Labour market and internal disparities............................................................ 65
Chapter 2. The economy in the CCV......................................................................... 73
1. Industry.................................................................................................................. 73
2. Agriculture............................................................................................................. 82
3. Tourism.................................................................................................................. 84
Chapter 3. Strengths and weaknesses of the economy in the CCV.................... 89
1. Industry and services to enterprises................................................................. 89
2. Agriculture............................................................................................................. 80
3. Tourism.................................................................................................................. 92
Chapter 4. Social capital............................................................................................ 95
1. Development organisations............................................................................... 95
2. Trade associations and unions........................................................................... 96
3. Voluntary organisations....................................................................................... 96
4. Job agencies.......................................................................................................... 97
5. Educational, technological, professional and service institutes................... 97
Chapter 5. CCV institutional context and current territorial policies................. 101
1. Multilevel governance and partnerships.......................................................... 101
2. Economic development policies....................................................................... 103
3. Spatial development policies............................................................................ 106 7
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The Valencian Central Districts, Spain
Chapter 6. Benchmarking and best practices: comparison of the CCV
with the 7H and Modena regions.......................................................... 109
1. The regions chosen for comparison................................................................... 109
2. The description of the regions........................................................................... 111
3. CCV:situations and trends comparable to those of the other two regions. 113
4. CCV: weaknesses compared to 7H and Modena............................................. 115
5. CCV: assets compared to 7H and Modena....................................................... 115
6. Conclusion............................................................................................................. 116
Annex 2. The regional and national contexts of the three regions................... 117
Spain.......................................................................................................................... 117
Sweden...................................................................................................................... 119
Italy............................................................................................................................. 121
Part 3. Development strategies and policy recommendations
for the Valencian Central Districts
Introduction............................................................................................................... 123
Chapter 1. Policy measures to strenghten local production systems
in the Valencian Central Districts.......................................................... 125
1. The CCV production systems............................................................................. 127
2. The roles and functions of polytechnic institutes and community colleges.. 131
3. The roles and functions of real service centres............................................... 135
4. The roles and functions of consortia and trade associations:
the Italian example.............................................................................................. 141
5. Conclusion............................................................................................................. 145
Chapter 2. Promoting sustainable development in the CCV................................ 147
1. Introduction........................................................................................................... 147
2. Current pressures on the CCV environment.................................................... 148
3. Environment economic development opportunities..................................... 153
4. Furthering sustainable development in the Central Districts....................... 159
5. Conclusions........................................................................................................... 164
Chapter 3. Implementing the CCV strategies
by improving territorial governance....................................................... 165
1. Production and institutional weakness of the Valencian Central Districts.. 165
2. Strategies to strengthen the production system............................................. 167
3. Strategies to overcome the institutional weakness of the CCV..................... 171
4. Conclusions........................................................................................................... 175
Bibliography................................................................................................................ 177
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© OECD 2001