Regional divergences: why did Extremadura fail to undergo economic development alongside the rest of Spain in the 20th Century

The aim of this dissertation will be to study the historical economic factors that have contributed to the development failure of Extremadura, by taking the region as a case study. The relevance of this question is multiple: it addresses not only the thorny issue of Spain's regional divergences, but it does so from the viewpoint of the poorest region to understand how unequal Spanish growth has been. By studying why economic performance affects areas differently within a country, it will offer new insights on the economic integration literature. Furthermore, the conclusions of this research using Extremadura as a case study could be use on broader debates in regional economics, such as the role of industrialisation in regional wealth and the place of local institutions. This proposal assembles a series of characteristics to make a relevant contribution to different branches of economic history literature, from Spanish economic history literature to the larger development literature in general.