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Índices de precios de la zona noroccidental de Castilla y León, 1518–1650
Abstract
Durante el período de entreguerras, en el que la inestabilidad económica constituyó una de las principales preocupaciones de las sociedades occidentales, se llevaron a cabo importantes investigaciones sobre la historia de los precios. Gracias a los trabajos de Hamilton (1934 y 1947), el caso español no quedó al margen de ese impulso historiográfico. Posteriormente, los precios serían objeto de una atención preferente en Las crisis agrarias en la España moderna de Gonzalo Anes (1970). Este libro tuvo una gran influencia en las numerosas investigaciones de los setenta y ochenta sobre el sector agrario en la España del Antiguo Régimen. Sin embargo, en casi todos estos trabajos primó el interés por desvelar la evolución económica en el largo plazo, lo que indujo a fijarse primordialmente en la población, la producción agraria y la renta de la tierra, relegando a los precios a un papel secundario.
... A CPI for 1276-1501 was constructed as a weighted average of agricultural (0.75) and industrial (0.25) Törnqvist price indices, except for Valencia (Allen, 2001). For 1501-1860, a Törnqvist index was derived from regional CPIs: Catalonia, 1501-1807(Felíu, 1991), and 1830-1860(Maluquer de Motes, 2005; Valencia, 1501-1785 (Allen, 2001); New Castile (Reher and Ballesteros, 1993), Old Castile, 1518-1650(Llopis Agelán et al., 2000 and 1751-1860(Moreno Lázaro, 2002. ...
On the basis of new yearly estimates of output and population, Spain’s economic performance from the late thirteenth century to mid-nineteenth century can be shown to be a succession of growing and shrinking phases without long-term net gains in average income. The simultaneous behaviour of per capita income and population is consistent with the existence of a frontier economy in which natural resources are abundant and population scarce, and precludes a Malthusian interpretation. A long phase of sustained growth and lower inequality ended in the 1570s and gave way to another period of sluggish growth and higher inequality. Growth and decline and long-term stagnation are explained by individual and collective economic decisions under institutional constraints.
... In Spain, the presence of the work of Earl J. Hamilton (1928Hamilton ( , 1929Hamilton ( , 1934Hamilton ( , 1936Hamilton ( , 1947 towers over the study of prices and salaries in Modern Spain (Álvarez Nogal & Prados de la Escosura, 2013;Llopis Agelán, Jerez Juan, Álvaro, & Fernández, 2000;López Losa, 2013;Martín Aceña, 1992;Reher & Ballesteros, 1993) and his data remain the main Spanish reference in many international comparative studies (Allen, 2001;Feliu, 1999;Martín Aceña, 1992;Munro, 2008;Pamuk, 2007;Pfister, 2017;Phelps Brown & Hopkins, 1959; van Zanden, 1999). Price series have been carefully analysed more recently (López Losa, 2013), but his wage series have continued to be used extensively, oblivious to the critical scrutiny. ...
This paper provides new series of building wages for 18th-century Madrid. At international level, the common Spanish reference for the period are the wage series that Earl Hamilton elaborated (and that Robert Allen took as reference in his database) using the payrolls of the construction of the Royal Palace of Madrid. However, he did not fully exploit the rich information they provide about wage rates, skills and the participation of labour in the building site. Contrary to the simplicity of the labour categories in Hamilton's series, our results show the existence of a complex world of skills and, consequently, of wage rates that only come to the surface when we reconstruct the working lives of the thousands of workers that participated in the works of the new Palace. The new data presented in this paper provide some new insights on the functioning of labour markets and on the complexity of wage (and even human capital) formation in preindustrial Madrid.
... For New Castile, see Martín Aceña (1992) and Reher & Ballesteros (1993). For Old Castile between 1518 and 1650, Llopis et al. (2000. For Andalusia, New Castile, Old Castile-Leon, and Valencia, Drelichman (2005). ...
The literature on living standards in New Castile, one of the most dynamic regions in early modern Spain, is not very abundant. Research that focused on this issue was at its peak a few decades ago. Nevertheless, several recent contributions are very suggestive. Within this region's borders, Toledo was one of the most relevant and populated cities in the early modern period. Following a broad Castilian trend, Toledo experienced an expansion in the sixteenth century and underwent a decline in the seventeenth century. This paper focuses on the reconstruction of the cost of living in the city between 1521 and 1650. The new price index offers two key improvements: the inclusion of housing, and the use of three different consumption baskets over time that reflect changes in the consumption patterns of the most modest Toledan families. These adjustments are determined by the purchasing power trends, the energy requirements, and the literature on the European history of consumption. The cost of living in Toledo increased by a factor of five between 1521-1529 and 1642-1650. Prices seemed to be more unstable, and inflation steadier during the sixteenth century, especially in its second half. Wine, housing and food items experienced a greater increase in their prices, caused, in turn, by the demographic growth and by the arrival of the American precious metals. The growth in the cost of living was very limited during the Toledan economic and demographic decay, which occurred in the first half of the seventeenth century. In this period, the most volatile prices corresponded to wheat and wine, whereas those of housing were the most stable.
... Con estos precios relativos a 1771-1775 se ha valorado el PAB de los 2 periodos estudiados, deflactando los productos declarados en dinero para corregir la inflación 20 . Comparando el resultado con el que arroja el cálculo del PAB a precios menor número de productos se cultiven, menor sea el grupo de vecinos y estos dispongan de un volumen similar de cosecha(Ibáñez Rodríguez, 1999, p. 73) 19Hamilton (1975),Reher y Ballesteros (1993),Llopis et al. (2000), Moreno Lázaro(2002), López Losa(2013). 20 Para ello se ha utilizado el índice de precios que dan para Castilla Reher y Ballesteros (1993) y que arroja un multiplicador de 2,6967 en el periodo analizado(Llopis et al., 2016, p. 25). ...
Resumen
Este trabajo analiza la evolución del producto agrario bruto per cápita de La Rioja a través de la producción agraria declarada en las averiguaciones de veros valores que se realizaron en 1588-1591 y 1771-1775 por las iglesias de Castilla para el reparto del subsidio y el excusado. La investigación forma parte de un proyecto nacional cuyo objetivo es establecer nuevas estimaciones del crecimiento agrícola, tanto en términos agregados como per cápita, realizadas a través de la vía del producto. Tras el análisis de las rentas decimales declaradas por las iglesias, la conclusión más destacable es que tanto el producto agrario como el producto agrario por habitante crecieron entre finales del siglo xvi y el tercer cuarto del xviii, alejándose de la imagen negativa que ofrece la historiografía europea para el sector primario de la Europa Occidental en general y los países mediterráneos en particular.
... 5. La reconstrucción del producto agrario en España fue iniciada por ANES (1970) y continuada desde una perspectiva regional por GARCÍA SANZ (1985), GOY y LE ROY LADURIE (1982), BILBAO y FERNÁNDEZ DE PINEDO (1984), ÁLVAREZ VÁZQUEZ (1984), MARCOS MARTÍN (1983( , 1989( y 2000( ) y SEBASTIÁN (1991( y 2004). ...
In the sixteenth century, the Rioja region was part of the North Atlantic trade routes. This encouraged an economy very diverse for the time. Using ecclesiastical accounting sources, this paper establishes the evolution of the regional agrarian product, the speed and the intensity with which the changes in the Rioja countryside came about and to what extent they were a result of the demand. The evolution of agricultural production in the Rioja region highlights two complimentary models of growth: in the western areas, demand in international and urban wine and wool markets was a determining factor, while in the east, population pressures played a greater role underlining the limits of traditional agriculture. Within the regional economy, the areas which were able to maintain a certain degree of diversification of production gained better results in the long term than those areas which remained faithful to a single crop.
... Buena parte de los índices publicados se basan en el material que obtuvo Hamilton (1934Hamilton ( y 1947 para las dos Castillas, Andalucía y Valencia. En concreto, nos referimos a los publicados por Martín Aceña (1992) y Reher y Ballesteros (1993) para Castilla la Nueva -el primero cubre los siglos XVI y XVII y el segundo, toda la Edad Moderna-y al elaborado por Llopis et al. (2000) para el noroeste de Castilla la Vieja entre 1518 y 1650. Tras los trabajos de Hamilton, cabe destacar la labor realizada por Feliu (1991a y 1991b) para Cataluña (siglos XVI-XVIII). ...
In this article I present new calculations for the evolution of prices and standards of living in Seville from 1521 to 1603. Using new data on prices and new research on changes in nutrition and consumption, I improve the consumer price index. Two major improvements can be highlighted: the inclusion of rented housing prices and the use of three baskets of goods, according to the transformations identified in the consumption patterns. As a result of these improvements, the new data show that prices increase more (336%) than previously estimated by Hamilton (155%) and when using the Allen method (234%). Consequently, real wages decrease more with the new index (32%).
... Based on these, they were able to analyse the mid and long run evolution of prices and wages, and to compare trends with those of England. Llopis et al. (2000) built a series of weighted price indexes for the north-western regions of Castile and Leon for 1518 to 1650. They elaborated three consumer baskets: one using the Phelps Brown and Hopkins (1956) weightings, also used by Martín Aceña (1992), and another two representing different levels of purchasing power. ...
The aim of this paper is twofold. First, to obtain inflation rates for the four regions of Spain analyzed for the period 1501 to 1800 by modeling Hamilton's (1934, 1947) price index series by means of an unobserved component model with a common cyclical factor. And second, to prove their long term convergence process. Therefore convergence concerns both the cyclical variation of inflation rates common to the four regions, and trend inflation. A complete convergence of the trend inflation occurred once the monetary reforms of Charles II of Spain were introduced in order to redress the previous monetary instability known as inflation of the vellón. The predominance of the vellón in small change and the concentration of the influx of silver when inflation was comparatively lower (second half of the sixteenth century and the seventeenth century) complicate to reach simple conclusions on the monetary origin of inflation exclusively based on precious metals, but, on the contrary, suggests a monetary origin based on copper coin and fiscal distortions. So, monetary stability proved to be a necessary condition for inflation convergence and the fulfillment of the purchasing power parity condition along the eighteen century.
... Pese a la importancia de las investigaciones pioneras de E. J. Hamilton, 10 no abundan los estudios sobre la evolución de los precios en la España moderna. Basándose en las series construidas por dicho historiador estadunidense, Martín Aceña (1992) y Reher y Ballesteros (1993) elaboraron sendos índices para Castilla la Nueva; 11 por su parte, Llopis, Jerez, Alvaro y Fernández (2000), empleando también como principal fuente documental los precios publicados por E. J. Hamilton, construyeron un índice del costo de la vida para el noroeste de Castilla la Vieja 8 Por ejemplo, en el trabajo de Ozmucur y Pamuk, "Real", 2002, sobre el imperio otomano. 9 Gelabert, "Declive", 1990. ...
En este artículo se presentan y analizan los índices del costo de la vida de tres ciudades españolas, Palencia, Madrid y Sevilla, que cubren el periodo 1680-1800. Las contabilidades de diversos hospitales, colegios e instituciones benéficas han constituido la fuente principal para la elaboración de los referidos índices. En las tres urbes objeto de estudio los precios se comportaron de una manera bastante similar: todos los índices comparten tendencia y ciclo común y presentan un grado significativo de relación lineal entre sus tasas logarítmicas de variación. Sin embargo, también se observan diferencias significativas en los movimientos a corto y largo plazos de los precios: por un lado, las tensiones inflacionistas de la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII fueron más intensas en Palencia y en Sevilla que en la capital de la monarquía hispánica; por otro lado, en Madrid las fluctuaciones interanuales del costo de la vida fueron menos violentas que en Palencia y Sevilla. A nuestro juicio, hay evidencias que apuntan a que la singularidad de Madrid obedeció, ante todo, a la mayor cantidad de recursos que las instituciones públicas dedicaron en dicha urbe a la protección de los consumidores.
New estimates about the evolution of prices in Seville during the sixteenth century challenge the conclusions of Hamilton’s American Treasure and the Price Revolution in Spain, 1501–1650. While Hamilton’s calculations suggest that prices increased by a factor of 3.7 between 1514 and 1603, new estimates indicate that prices increased by a factor of 7.1. Both price curves begin to separate in 1547 and can be largely explained by the behaviour of house rental prices, which Hamilton did not take into consideration. In the first part of the article, I examine the characteristics of the new Consumer Price Index, outline the chronological limits of the “price revolution” and identify the periods in which inflation was greatest, namely 1515–1526, 1540–1560, 1575–1587 and 1598–1602. Afterwards, I calculate which products of the basket of goods are the causes of inflation for each of the periods outlined above and show a relation of the factors that may be regarded as causing the inflationist processes. These factors include agrarian crises, population growth, increase in money supply, the division of labour and growth in urbanisation, the relationship between supply and demand in the house rental market, changes in the income velocity of money, the coinage debasement and the effect of taxes. My premise is that each of the aforementioned inflationist episodes responded to a different combination of factors.
Differences in material conditions are a determinant that explains the little divergence between northwestern and southern Europe. This article approaches the evolution of prices in early modern Toledo (Spain). The price index includes new items such as housing and employs different baskets over time, reflecting changes in consumption patterns. During the city’s golden age, prices grew faster than in London, Paris, or Amsterdam. Wine, urban rent, and food prices experienced a great increase, coinciding with demographic growth and the arrival of the American precious metals. Prices slowed in the first half of the seventeenth century, throughout Castile’s demographic and economic decay.
RESUMEN
A partir de datos publicados e inéditos, referidos en su mayor parte al centro de la península y en especial a Madrid, se propone la construcción de índices anuales de precios, salarios y salarios reales entre 1501 y 1991. Se ofrece una explicación detallada de la naturaleza de las fuentes y de los procedimientos utilizados en la construcción de los índices, evaluando la bondad de los ajustes introducidos. Las seríes resultantes delimitan con claridad la evolución cíclica a medio y largo plazo de precios y salarios en el centro de España. Al comparárselas con series temporales inglesas, destaca la similitud de tendencias en el conjunto del período estudiado.
RESUMEN
El objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido proporcionar una medición lo más precisa posible del crecimiento de los precios en Europa entre 1500 y 1700. En primer lugar, se calcula un índice ponderado de precios para Castilla la Nueva homogéneo con el de otras regiones europeas, y así poder incorporar a nuestro estudio una de las áreas en las que tradicionalmente se ha centrado el examen de la revolución de los precios. A continuación, y empleando los instrumentos que suministra la moderna teoria monetaria, he tratado de ofrecer una interpretación del comportamiento de los precios sustentada en la teoría cuantitativa del dinero que, a mi entender, sigue proporcionando la mejor explicación de los cambios a largo plazo en el nivel absoluto de precios.
Karl Gunnar Persson surveys a broad sweep of economic history, examining one of the most crucial markets - grain. His analysis allows him to draw more general lessons, for example that liberalization of markets was linked to political authoritarianism. Grain Markets in Europe traces the markets’ early regulation, their poor performance and the frequent market failures. Price volatility caused by harvest shocks was of major concern for central and local government because of the unrest it caused. Regulation became obsolete when markets became more integrated and performed better through trade triggered by falling transport costs. Persson, a specialist in economic history, uses insights from development economics, explores contemporary economic thought on the advantages of free trade, and measures the extent of market integration using the latest econometric methods. Grain Markets in Europe will be of value to scholars and students in economic history, social history and agricultural and institutional economics.
Tesis doctoral inédita de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Departamento de Historia Moderna. Fecha de lectura: 29-9-97 Bibliografía: p. III-XVII
RESUMEN
Durante gran parte del siglo XVII, Castilla sufrió el desorden monetario de la Casa de Austria, caracterizado por una inflación rampante, deflaciones puntuales y el monopolio del vellón en la circulación monetaria en detrimento de la plata. Por fin, un conjunto de medidas monetarias puestas en práctica en la década de 1680 bajo el reinado de Carlos II consiguió terminar con aquel desorden. En este trabajo modelizamos un sistema monetario bimetálico —plata y vellón— con el fin de analizar las causas del éxito de tales medidas.