The Economic and Social Council in Spain (1975-1992): a European invention at the service of social dialogue

Abstract

This article examines, from a historical perspective and through sociological institutionalism, the emergence of the Economic and Social Council in Spain, a typical entity of European welfare states that did not fully develop until the consolidation of democracy. From the early constitutional debates, the initiative was characterized by a high degree of European influence and was linked to economic planification. The challenges posed by this, in a context of shifting productive models, made the cases of neighbouring
countries aspirational examples, particularly Italy. However, the main idea is that there was no advocacy for following a specific model, nor was there a predetermined agenda for its establishment. Instead, Spain’s internal situation and the international context of change within national welfare states led the PSOE governments and social partners to opt, from an organizational and administrative standpoint, for a hybrid model inspired by the French case and the Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities but according to the particularities of the Spanish economy