Spanish GDP inflated by immigration, says Corriere
In Il Corriere della Sera, Federico Rampini dismantles Spain's model: GDP inflated by immigration, corruption scandals and a government losing credibility.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Corriere della Sera buries Sánchez's 'Spanish model'
The "Spanish model" is dead. Federico Rampini buried it in Il Corriere della Sera with an analysis that pulls no punches. The Italian columnist argues that Spain's GDP is artificially inflated by immigration, while the government's credibility crumbles on every front.
Rampini recalls that only a few months ago Spain was Europe's star pupil. Now, he writes, the collapse has been swift and brutal. The wave of corruption scandals has splashed Socialist Prime Minister Sánchez, with family members and party colleagues implicated. Even its fruta as "top of the class" in the fight against climate change has taken a hit.
The uncomfortable immigration factor
The central argument, as it has been reported, is that GDP growth rests on the arrival of immigrants. A factor which, on closer inspection, glosses over the macroeconomic figures without translating into real welfare gains for the population. The uncomfortable nuance soon emerged: naturalized immigrants tend to bring over their parents and even grandparents, and that shows in hospital waiting rooms. A cost that never makes the growth headlines.
If Rampini's diagnosis is right, Spain will pay the price for a model that lived on appearances. The question is whether the political noise will allow the warning to be heard before it is too late. Because the problem is not that someone tells the truth, but that it always tends to arrive too late.
The "Spanish model" is dead. Federico Rampini buried it in Il Corriere della Sera with an analysis that pulls no punches. The Italian columnist argues that Spain's GDP is artificially inflated by immigration, while the government's credibility crumbles on every front.
Rampini recalls that only a few months ago Spain was Europe's star pupil. Now, he writes, the collapse has been swift and brutal. The wave of corruption scandals has splashed Socialist Prime Minister Sánchez, with family members and party colleagues implicated. Even its fruta as "top of the class" in the fight against climate change has taken a hit.
The uncomfortable immigration factor
The central argument, as it has been reported, is that GDP growth rests on the arrival of immigrants. A factor which, on closer inspection, glosses over the macroeconomic figures without translating into real welfare gains for the population. The uncomfortable nuance soon emerged: naturalized immigrants tend to bring over their parents and even grandparents, and that shows in hospital waiting rooms. A cost that never makes the growth headlines.
If Rampini's diagnosis is right, Spain will pay the price for a model that lived on appearances. The question is whether the political noise will allow the warning to be heard before it is too late. Because the problem is not that someone tells the truth, but that it always tends to arrive too late.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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