sixseoul13 day 1: city talk bilbao/basque case - gorka espiau
TRANSCRIPT
City Talk. The Bilbao/Basque case
Gorka Espiau Idoiaga. [email protected] Twitter: @GEspiau
Bilbao and the Basque land, at the heart of Europe
Bilbao and the Basque Country was suffering only 40 years ago the consequences of a cruel dictatorship, a deep economic crisis, the highest unemployment figures in Europe and a violent conflict.
The Basque Country is one of the EU leading territories according to the UN Human Development Index (GDP 31.000€per capita,+literacy 80% high education+ womens life expectancy 85,7).
Today, Bilbao is internationally recognized as a successful case of socio economic transformation.
This transformation was possible due to a comprehensive strategy based on public/private partnership, endogenous reactivation of the economy and social innovation.
80’s: TOUGH economic, social and political crisis.
high unemployment collapse of basic industries
obsolete infrastructures 80’s: triumph of the neo-liberal focus
in the world context: “the best industrial policies are the ones that
don’t exist”
30 YEARS FOR A RADICAL TRANSFORMATION
1980: beginning of Basque self-government
IN THIRTY YEARS EUSKADI HAS BECOME A NEW COUNTRY.
FROM A DECADENT AND OBSOLETE ECONOMY, IT'S TURNED INTO A POTENT,
VENTURESOME AND COMPETITIVE CENTER OF BUSINESS
• GDP has grown during the last decade above that of
Spain and the EU • 75% of production is
exported (50% in medium/high technology products)
• Unemployment has diminished drastically
• First in Spain in terms of income per capita
• Above the European average in terms of income
per capita (136 /100)
Tech Desert
DURING THE 80's, THE BASQUE ECONOMY
UNDERWENT A PROCESS OF INTEGRAL RESTRUCTURING
FOLLOWING RECESSION
Keys to understand this transformation:
1st phase: 1980s “Learn to compete”.
2nd phase: 1990s “Learn to compete and cooperate” Public/Private partnerships.
3rd phase: 2000-2010 “Learn to innovate in cooperation” A new ecosystem for social innovation.
Dominant ideas in the past
• Economy of scale • Centralised and unique
industrial and regional policies
• The best industrial policy: the one that does not exist
• Complete separation/confrontation State-Enterprise
• Exclusive Picking winners • “Viva el
MERCADO” (prominence to the market)
• Tripartite competition: USA-Japan-Europe
• Free rein to International Multilateral Organisations
What we believed in … and did
• Interdependence, small is
beautiful, posible and essential • De-concentration of regionalised
microeconomic policies • “Comprehensive” strategy for
competitiveness in solidarity • Public-private and public-public
partnerships • All industry matters • Transformed public leadership,
with committed participation of social entrepreneurs
• Multiple competition / New players • Guiding principle: each country is
unique. Its own and differentiated strategy
Gorka Espiau Idoiaga. Agirre Lehendakaria Center [email protected] Twitter: @GEspiau
Kamsahamnida Eskerrik asko Thank you
Then, we decided to build the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum.