Francisco José Calderón Vázquez

The research has analysed Spanish economic and business education, focusing on the School of Commerce of Málaga. It has explored the regulations that supported this training, from the Royal Decree of Charles III and the creation of the maritime consulates to the incorporation of economic and business studies into the Spanish university system, consolidated in Málaga through the Faculties of Economics and Business Administration, and of Marketing and Management. From a gender perspective, the study combines the analysis of official educational data at several stages—after the Spanish Civil War and following the Second World War— with interviews with women, mainly economists, who were pioneers in attaining prominent positions in the academic and institutional fields. A critical approach has enriched the empirical and legislative analysis. The findings reveal the initially limited female presence and gradual integration into the university, transforming a traditionally male-dominated space by overcoming obstacles and resistance.

Background The truffle has gone from being a culinary singularity of certain Mediterranean regions (France, Italy and Spain) to becoming in recent decades a luxury commodity in the agricultural markets with high prices and high profitability for producers and suppliers. This truffle’s centrality generates a constant rising demand that provokes new suppliers to try to enter this market within the framework of globalization. Until now, studies about truffles have focused mainly on physical, biological and agribusiness aspects. This study proposes a descriptive analysis of the global truffle market. based on the following reseach question: What are the changes that Globalization entails in the production and international market of truffles? This study proposes a descriptive analysis of the global truffle market based on the following reseach question: What are the changes that Globalization entails in the production and international market of truffles? Methods The analysis starts with truffle production, focuses on the factors that determine it, and has a direct impact on the supply. To analyse the interaction between supply and demand for truffles, we have generated two double-entry matrices where the ten largest importers and the ten largest exporters are analysed in relation to prices and quantities imported and exported. To this end, we have studied the factors determining production and prices of truffles, as well as the interrelations in the global market and the added social and ecological value of their cultivation. Results The fundamental result of the analysis is a three-dimensional and holistic image of the whole market that reflects both the interacting agents in terms of production and trade, import and export, and product flows in the world. Conclusions Truffles are not only important for their commercial and market value, but also for their environmental and social values. The cultivation of truffles is a driver of agricultural an rural development as the experience of certain rural-continental areas in the European Union evidences. These values are particularly important because they configure the truffle as a community commodity whose production can benefit both the rural population and territory in question.

Background The truffle has gone from being a culinary singularity of certain Mediterranean regions (France, Italy and Spain) to becoming in recent decades a luxury commodity in the agricultural markets with high prices and high profitability for producers and suppliers. This truffle’s centrality generates a constant rising demand that provokes new suppliers to try to enter this market within the framework of globalization. Until now, studies about truffles have focused mainly on physical, biological and agribusiness aspects. Methods This study proposes a descriptive analysis of the global truffle market. The analysis starts with truffle production, focuses on the factors that determine it, and has a direct impact on the supply. To analyse the interaction between supply and demand for truffles, we have generated two double-entry matrices where the ten largest importers and the ten largest exporters are analysed in relation to prices and quantities imported and exported. To this end, we have studied the factors determining production and prices of truffles, as well as the interrelations in the global market and the added social and ecological value of their cultivation. Results The fundamental result of the analysis is a three-dimensional and holistic image of the whole market that reflects both the interacting agents in terms of production and trade, import and export, and product flows in the world. Conclusions Truffles are not only important for their commercial and market value, but also for their environmental and social values. Socio-demographic and environmental values of truffles their cultivation that make truffle production a driver of agricultural and rural development, as the experience of certain rural and continental areas in the European Union evidences. These values are particularly important because they configure the truffle as a community commodity whose production can benefit both the rural population and territory in question.

Background Cross-border cooperation has been (and still is) one of the main assets of the acquis communitiare in everything that refers to cross-border development. In fact, development initiatives aimed at addressing the problems of intra-European border areas could have better results if they were concerted (horizontally coordinated) and executed jointly by the governments, national, and local actors from both border sides, to improve their populations’ quality of life. The study goal is to provide new contributions that enrich critical reflection and debate on the issue of depopulation, in order to propose economic policy recommendations within a framework of cross-border institutional cooperation and inter- and intra-governmental coordination of political actors involved. Methods We prepared a descriptive analysis of its evolution during the period 1960-2020, with three essential variables: a) population evolution border based on the losses or gains verified with respect to 1960; b) critical population mass existing in 2020 based on the indicator of population density (inhabitants per square kilometer), and c) level of population aging based on the indicator percentage of population over 65 years of age over total population. Our descriptive analysis exclusively covers the border municipalities located along the both sides of the Spanish-Portuguese north-central border line, a total of 49 border municipalities (nine Portuguese and 40 spanish). Results The results show the existence of this recessive demographic continuum, which extends to both sides of the border, causes the need to face the depopulating phenomenon from a transnational and European perspective, in the sense that ‘national’ solutions to the phenomenon will not be able to offer answers common and consistent to a phenomenon as complex as depopulation. Conclusions It is necessary to reinforce the existing cross-border cooperation, providing it with greater operability at the level of institutional and administrative coordination, deepening the multilevel governance of the territory.

Las islas Chafarinas es uno de los enclaves españoles situado en el norte de África, constituye la única frontera de la Unión Europea en la zona. Es un espacio que goza de un medio natural de gran valor ecológico. La investigación realiza un recorrido histórico y analiza los elementos que conforman su problemática hasta la segunda década del siglo XXI. Se abarcan aspectos geográficos, ambientales e históricos que explican su trayectoria y el actual statu quo. Su ubicación en la zona de la Mauritania-Tingitania, unida a su condición de frontera insular, deja al descubierto un espacio no exento de dificultades en las relaciones políticas y económicas, que deben analizarse para encontrar vías que mejoren la relación y la cooperación entre España (la UE) y Marruecos y minoren los conflictos fronterizos existentes. Sus opciones de futuro pasan por la cooperación con países vecinos y la explotación de sus recursos turísticos en el marco de la sostenibilidad.

A brand can turn a geographical location into a landmark and influences the tourist planification of a city. Although the world tourist sector recognizes Malaga as The Coast of Sun, this analysis also reveals several more elements, which should be substantiated if a rebranding is carried out. If the brand is well managed, the residents’ perspective must be taken into account. Avoiding the seasonality and keeping the destination in the future will allow the sustainable development of the tourism in the city of Malaga. In order to achieve the goals set in this research, a descriptive methodology has been used. This study has been carried out using a questionnaire in which 1230 residents have participated. Indeed, the results show that Malaga brand is being built under the concept of culture and that some attributes are vital for the territory’s image. This encourages economic growth and hence employment. This paper offers important implications to both public and private institutions insofar as they promote tourism campaigns.

El presente trabajo plantea una aplicación al caso de la política europea de cooperación transfronteriza (CTF). Se revisa la CTF llevada a cabo en la frontera hispano-portuguesa desde una perspectiva funcional, mediante una descripción panorámica del proceso de implementación de CTF luso-hispana, de los agentes e instituciones que la han llevado a cabo, en particular las comunidades de trabajo, y de los resultados logrados a lo largo del proceso. Entendiendo por resultados: 1) qué avances o retrocesos se han realizado en la desactivación de esta frontera secular ─es decir, se ha logrado eliminar el efecto frontera─, 2) qué obstáculos quedan pendientes y 3) cuáles son los desafíos de futuro. Las conclusiones muestran un panorama ambiguo por cuanto que se constatan grandes avances en los aspectos de infraestructura, de transporte, comunicación, intercambio y comercio; aunque todavía queden flecos pendientes y otros campos -culturales, antropológicos-sociológicos- donde los progresos son poco significativos o nulos.

Las fronteras europeas y, muy específicamente, las fronteras entre Estados miembros de la Unión Europea constituyen productos históricos “vivos” que personifican las vicisitudes de los territorios fronterizos europeos en constante evolución: desde un pasado de luchas y enfrentamientos entre las diferentes unidades sociopolíticas europeas, hasta un futuro de progresiva integración comunitaria. Tales procesos de desactivación fronteriza resultan de gran complejidad. En la presente contribución, analizamos el caso de la frontera hispano-portuguesa, revisando su evolución desde la perspectiva de la interacción transfronteriza.