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The Rise and Fall of Family Allowances in Spain: Religious Cleavages, Political Regimes and Economic Constraints, 1926-1958

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  • Guillem Verd Llabrés

    (Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

After the end of World War II, family allowances became central to Western European Welfare states as they influenced gender relations, demographic growth, child welfare and wage regulation. Yet, their implementation was shaped by several determinants —fertility rates, religion, Conservative dictatorships, or party competition— whose relative importance is still open to study. Spain provides a significant case study to understand such determinants. It was a firstcomer in developing family allowances, giving them a crucial role in the Francoist social policies, but their development was marked by significant religious cleavages, left-right political competition and regime changes during the interwar period. The paper shows that, despite gaining momentum among catholic campaigners and Parties, the apathy —if not opposition— from the left, employers and landowners prevented the scheme from being developed before the Spanish Civil War. After the conflict, despite becoming central to Francoist social programs targeting the family and the labour market, family allowances fell well behind campaigners’ expectations, and proved unable to reach a significant proportion of Spanish families. The Spanish low fiscal capacity and the inability to collect contributions —particularly in the countryside— were central to understanding such a difficult development.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillem Verd Llabrés, 2024. "The Rise and Fall of Family Allowances in Spain: Religious Cleavages, Political Regimes and Economic Constraints, 1926-1958," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 2405, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
  • Handle: RePEc:ahe:dtaehe:2405
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family Allowances; Spain; Religious Cleavage; Political Regime; Fiscal Capacity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-
    • N44 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: 1913-

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