¿Por qué los españoles son (moderadamente) autonomistas? Las ganancias regionales de eficiencia y la preferencia por la autonomía

This study tests the hypothesis that the preference of Spanish citizens for regional decentralization of the State is directly conditioned by their recognition that the system of Autonomous Communities generates efficiency gains. We estimate an ordered probit model using the data base created by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas Barometer 2,610, of December 2005. The dependent variable reflects the model of territorial organization preferred by the citizen (from centralization through to independence) and the explanatory variables consist of citizens’ assessments of the action of regional government, as well as certain control variables. The model has been first calculated without considering the hierarchical structure of the data and has then been supplemented by a multilevel analysis. The results reveal evidence that citizens’ opinions of regional public sector performance determine their preference towards the decentralization of the state.