Functional distribution of income in Spain (1914-1959): a proposal of analysis

The analysis of the functional distribution of income in Spain from a historical perspective has created many obstacles to historiography due to the lack of statistical sources. The main objective of this research is to offer a new quantitative tool which lets empirically test many arguments sustained in this field - with little statistical support-until this moment. The proposed indicator is defined as the ratio between the income corresponding to the industrial workers and the enterprise profits in Spain from 1914 to 1959. Its long-term behaviour identifies, firstly, some interesting trends on the distributive guidelines in the Spanish economy before and after the Civil War. Secondly, the quantitative evidence reveals that the capital income was clearly favoured in the post-War period at the same time as the labour income was clearly damaged. As a consequence, the prevailing distributive pattern in this economy over the course of the pre-War decades was modified.