MAS M., MAUDOS J., PEREZ F. and URIEL E. (1996) Infrastructures and productivity in the Spanish regions, Reg. Studies 30, 641-649. The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of public capital, the types of infrastructures in which it is invested and their territorial distribution in the gains in productivity of the private sector in the Spanish regions in the period 1964-91 using panel data techniques to control for unobserved state-specific characteristics. The results obtained show how the infrastructures most directly linked to the productive process present a significant and positive effect on productivity. They also show the importance of the network effect of the infrastructures of a productive nature as well as a decrease in the elasticity associated with such infrastructures as development progresses. MAS M., MAUDOS J., PEREZ F. et URIEL E. (1996) Les infrastructures et la productivite aux regions espagnoles, Reg. Studies 30, 641-649. Cet article cherche a analyser le role du capital public, les infrastructures dans lesquelles le capital se voit investir, et leur distribution geographique quant aux gains de productivite du secteur prive aux regions espagnoles sur la periode de 1964 a 1991. On utilise des techniques de donnees reunies afin de tenir compte des caracteristiques inobservees specifiques a l'Etat. Les resultats obtenus demontrent dans quelle mesure les infrastructures qui se rapportent le plus etroitement a la methode de production ont un effet sensible et positif sur la productivite. Ils demontrent aussi l'importance de l'effet reseau des infrastructures du type productif ainsi qu'une baisse de l'elasticite associee a de telles infrastructures au fur et a mesure que le developpement progresse. MAS M., MAUDOS J., PEREZ F. und URIEL E. (1996) Infrastruktur und Produktivitat in den Regionen Spaniens, Reg. Studies 30, 641-649. Dieser Aufsatz hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die Rolle von offentlichen Kapitalmitteln und Arten der Infrastrukturen, in denen sie investiert werden, zu analysieren, sowie deren gebietsweise Verteilung beim Anstieg der Produktivitat des Privatsektors der Regionen Spaniens im Zeitraum 1964-1991, wobei 'Panel' Datentechnik zur uberprufung unbeobachteter, dem Staate eigener charakteristischer Merkmale benutzt wird. Die sie erzielten Ergebnisse zeigen, wie die am engsten mit dem Produktionsprozess verknupften Infrastrukturen eine bedeutende und positive Wirkung auf die Produktionsleistung ausuben. Daruber hinaus zeigen sie sowohl die Bedeutung des Netzeffektes der produktionsorientierten Infrastrukturen auf als auch ein Nachlassen der Anpassungsfahigkeit, die bei fortschreitender Entwicklung mit solchen Infrastrukturen in Verbindung gebracht werden.Produktivitat, Infrastrukturen, Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung,

No abstract

-The microflora of Ibores cheese made with raw goat's milk without any starter addition was studied throughout the ripening period. The microbial counts for total lactic acid bacteria, presumptive lactococci and presumptive lactobacilli attained maxima of 9-10 log units with little or no variation throughout ripening. Leuconostocs and enterococci levels were 2-3 log units lower, also with little variation. Coliforms and staphylococci declined steadily from relatively high initial counts, the coliforms to low levels and the staphylococci disappearing completely. Moulds and yeasts were at low levels throughout ripening. Among the identified isolates, lactococci formed the prevalent group throughout ripening, followed by leuconostocs and enterococci at similar levels to each other, and then lactobacilli at low levels. The prevailing species and subspecies were Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. dextranicum, Ln. mesenteroides ssp. mesenteroides, Weissella paramesenteroides, Enterococcus faecium, E. faecalis, Lactobacillus casei and Lb. plantarum. Small numbers of other species from each of the genera were also identified. The changes in certain physicochemical parameters during ripening were determined. By 60 days, the values of the pH, total solid content, and NaCl content were 5.18, 58.9% and 2.5%, respectively. The correlation of some of the physicochemical parameters with the log counts of the microbial groups was also established.Goat's milk cheese / ripening / lactic acid bacteria / identification Résumé -Fromage des Ibores : changements microbiologiques et physico-chimiques pendant l'affinage. La microflore de fromages de type Ibores, faits avec du lait cru de chèvre, sans addition de levain, a été suivie pendant l'affinage. Les concentrations de bactéries lactiques totales, de

Economic performance in Spanish provinces has led to a considerable improvement in standard of living of their populations. Intense capital accumulation since the 1950s played a key roll in this process. Provincial inequalities may increase or decrease as a result of this growth pattern. This study analyzes the evolution of the disparities by means of distribution dynamics techniques. It explicitly considers economic size of each province and whether spatial spillovers exist. Results indicate that the convergence process has been especially intense for labor productivity, total factor productivity, and capital intensity, while for per capita income the patterns of convergence are less marked. When we weight our analysis according to economic size of each province, our conclusions do not hold. However, when we take geographic location into account, we find support for our conclusions.

This paper provides the methodology and results of a database of inequality indices for the fifty provinces and seventeen regions of Spain on the basis of the Household Budget Surveys for the years 1973͞74, 1980͞81 and 1990͞91. The inequality indicators considered are the indices of Gini, Theil (0), Theil (1) and Atkinson (1), as well as the distribution by deciles of the population. These indicators are drawn up for three variables: total income, total expenditure, and exclusively monetary expenditure. The variables are also expressed in terms of households, per capita and per capita equivalent. All are available on the Internet (http:͞͞www.ivie.es).

This paper focuses on three (marginal?) questions surrounding the analysis of economic convergence and uses Spanish provinces as a means of illustration. The three questions in hand are the following: (i) given that the geographical units of analysis are usually quite different in economic size, is the weighting of economic units relevant in convergence analysis? (ii) the average per capita income of a given region, or country, is the first moment in the distribution of income, but what about the second moment, inequality? Have we converged in inequality? and (iii) an aggregate welfare index must take into account, at least, the evolution of the first two moments of the distribution of income, and so does the adjustment for inequality make important differences in the evolution of average per capita income? The answer to the first two questions is yes, but to the third it is clearly no. JEL: D31, R11Keywords: Convergence, income distribution, inequality indices and regional analysis. 3 Three specific questionsThe aim of this paper is to analyse the available empirical evidence regarding three particular aspects of economic convergence, using as a means of illustration the Spanish provinces. Despite their intrinsic value, the three questions contemplated in this paper have received very little attention in the literature on growth and convergence.The emphasis of this paper is most decidedly empirical.The convergence process in Spain, at a regional level, has been widely studied [2] . Nevertheless, the attention has almost exclusively been focused, from a macroeconomic point of view, on two key variables: per capita income and labour productivity. These variables are indistinguishable in a growth model with full capacity utilisation, although from an empirical viewpoint their behaviour may be notably different in both the short and the long run (Paci, 1997 andMas, 1998). This paper focuses on per capita income [3] and on two additional variables related to this: inequality and welfare (defined below). When we refer to inequality, we are explicitly referring to the inequality in the personal distribution of income within a given region, and not to the inequality between the average per capita incomes of the different regions. While the process of convergence of per capita income at the regional level in Spain is well understood, the convergence of inequality and welfare, or the lack of, and how these are related to the average provincial level of per capita income is practically unknown. In addition, we shall consider a methodological question with practical implications.In order to analyse the evolution of inequality in the distribution of income, we have used the database which we had previously constructed from the Encuestas de Presupuestos Familiares (EPF´s-Family Budget Surveys) of the INE (National Institute of Statistics) [4] (Goerlich and Mas, 2001b). These surveys were carried out during the 4 periods 1973/74, 1980/81 and 1990/91, which limits the period of study of the main part of this paper. Us...

The paper presents the methodology and results of the estimation of the endowments of capital in the Spanish economy. It distinguishes between endowments of public capital and private capital. The series corresponding to the public sector cover the period 1955–97 and consider seven categories (or functions). The estimates are disaggregated by 17 regions and 50 provinces. The level of disaggregation is regional and provincial (NUTS2 and NUTS3 in European terminology). The private capital series cover the period 1964–97 and consider 17 sectors of production, with disaggregation at regional level. The information refers to two variables: gross formation of fixed capital (in current and constant pesetas) and capital stock in constant pesetas (base year 1990).

Background: The purpose of this article is to analyze economic growth, productivity and its determinants in five countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico) during the period 1990-2010. This analysis applies to the aggregate economy as well as to nine economic sectors. Methods: A new database, LA-KLEMS, is used that will serve as a fundamental tool for empirical and theoretical research in the area of economic growth and productivity for Latin America. The variables are organized around the growth accounting methodology, which provides a clear conceptual framework for consistent analysis of interaction between the variables. The LA-KLEMS figures highlight discrepancies between countries and give a new perspective to understand how the series evolve over time. Results: Results show that the sluggish economic growth is basically driven by the negative contribution of total factor productivity (TFP) in all countries and in almost all sectors, despite the investment efforts made in the last 20 years. Latin American countries face a genuine problem of productivity, as the shift-share analysis shows.