Spain, Split and Talk: Quantifying Regional Independence

We quantify the economic impact of a potential secession of Catalonia from Spain. Using a novel dataset of trade flows between 17 Spanish sub-national regions and 142 countries, we estimate the effects of different levels of borders on trade flows and uncover heterogeneity in regional, national, and EU border effects. We use a general equilibrium analysis of trade with fiscal transfers to understand the consequences of a potential secession with political uncertainty. In counterfactual experiments, we impose new borders on Catalan regional and international trade, potentially within or outside the EU, resulting in a welfare decline for Catalonia and Spain.