Fluctuaciones de precios y dinámica demográfica en Cataluña (1600–1850)1

A common view in the Spanish population history has been to show the variety of its regional demographies. In this regional setting the population of Catalonia has been characterized by its early connection between economic and social modernization and demographical change. This article aims to evaluate these connections between economic and demographical dynamics in Catalonia in the pre-industrial era (1600–1850). Series of vital events and prices from a sample of Catalan villages have been collected and demographical responses to short run fluctuations in standards of living evaluated through lag time series models. The main results show: a) Levels of mortality responses to fluctuations in standards of living are higher than levels of fertility throughout two and a half centuries, b) Nuptiality, in the XVIII th century, and fertility, in the first half of XIX th century, are the demographical mechanisms applied by the Catalan population in order to avoid tensions between population and resources during the process of economic growth.