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Although Spain’s economy was seen as a miracle during the most recent expansive phase (for its labour market outcomes in terms of job growth, among other things), the economy’s development during those years suffered from severe problems that deserve attention. This became more relevant in a context like the current one, where there is no consensus around which economic policies might lead the country back onto a stable growth path. Using a systemic approach in which we analyse the growth model, the role of Spain in the European division of labour, the financial sector, the labour market, the public sector, and the distribution of income, we contend that, in contrast with several narratives concerning the crisis in Spain: (i) the ‘living-beyond-our-means’ discourse is not true; and (ii) certain political and economic aspects, usually missing in those narratives, are essential to understanding the recent evolution of Spain.

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A destructive intraslab earthquake occurred in Mexico City on September 19, 2017 (Mw 7.1), causing significant damage and hundreds of human losses not only in the epicentral area, but also in the States of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico and in Mexico City. Only in Mexico City itself, around 230 people died, and more than 40 buildings collapsed. The intensities recorded in some lakebed areas of the city, especially in zones with soil periods around 1.5 s, were relatively high, even surpassing spectral values of 1.0 g; the vertical component, due to the proximity of the earthquake, was unusually high for Mexico City. The 2017 earthquake raised questions critical to understanding the city’s seismic vulnerability and resilience, and they are partly answered in this article. Using 77 accelerometric stations, the amplification pattern of the seismic intensities is characterized as well as the correlations of buildings structural characteristics with the site effects. A comprehensive statistical analysis of the damages is shown to analyze and understand the structural behavior of damaged buildings. It is including not only the structural types and the year of construction, but also the main structural problems identified (structural pathologies), such as irregularities, both in elevation and plan, soft story, and corner effect. The building damage database was constructed with 2125 reports of buildings carried out by universities and engineering associations after the earthquake, of which 543 had severe damage. It is also included the information of all buildings with no damage in the city thanks to the cadastral information provided by the Mexico City government, and post-earthquake inspections and visual inspections using Google Street View. A full study of selected neighborhoods, which compares similar buildings with and without damage, is included, yielding relevant statistical information on which pathologies cause more damage and even collapses.

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