Series: Working Papers. 2028.
Author: Eduardo Gutiérrez, Enrique Moral-Benito, Daniel Oto-Peralías and Roberto Ramos.
Published in: Journal of Regional Science, Volume 63, Issue 3, June 2023, pp 728-750
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Abstract
We exploit the GEOSTAT 2011 population grid with a very high 1-km2 resolution to
document that Spain presents the lowest density of settlements among European
countries. We uncover that this anomaly cannot be accounted for by adverse geographic
and climatic conditions. Using techniques from spatial econometrics, we identify the
clusters that exhibit the lowest densities within Spain after controlling for geo-climatic
factors: these areas mainly belong to Teruel, Zaragoza, Ciudad Real, Albacete, Sevilla
and Asturias. We also explore the attributes that characterize the municipalities located
in these low-density areas: larger population losses during the 1950-1991 rural exodus,
higher shares of local-born inhabitants, longer distances to the province capital, higher
shares of population employed in agriculture, and larger increases in regionalist vote
after the Great Recession.