Please, some financial education 

Amid the debate on the changes that need to be made in education to reverse the low standards of Catalan students, 11Onze’s Director of Content and Media, Toni Mata, poses a new question: why aren’t the citizens of the future being educated financially?

So much has been said about the poor results of Catalan students in the PISA report that it seems the only solution will be to keep talking. Parole, parole, parole, as Xavier Massó of “Profesores de Secundaria” paraphrased a few days ago on Rac1. The truth is that suddenly, the country seems to be worried that young people don’t understand what they read. Is it a surprise? Is anyone interested in the new citizens learning something that will make them capable of living a fruitful life, as free and happy as possible? If this were the case, surely the educational curriculum would be quite different and financial education would surely play a central role.

In Catalonia, young people leave secondary school and high school without knowing how to read a payslip. Without understanding how taxes are calculated or what they do. Without having the remotest idea of how unemployment benefits or sick leave are calculated. Not understanding how money is created, what inflation is or how interest on a loan is calculated. How can our children be free citizens if they are unable to understand how to manage a commodity as essential to their lives as money? Some will say that in the humanistic and social baccalaureate, there is a subject of economics. And that is true. Well, not to worry then, I’m sure these students will teach it to the students of the other modalities.

And the adults?

They do not fare very well. According to OECD studies, only 34% of European adults have a minimum knowledge of financial literacy. It is most probably this widespread lack of knowledge that makes it possible for us to give so little importance to financial education. Secondary schools can indeed ask to participate in the financial education programme in schools. But here we are: which schools will ask about it if it is optional? How many workshops will be offered? And, above all, who will teach them? Behind the financial education programme in schools offered by the Generalitat, there are all the big Spanish and Spanish banks (formerly Catalan and Spanish). Are we really going to entrust the financial education of our sons and daughters to workshops given by bankers? And to what extent will the bankers be interested in our sons and daughters questioning whether the current model is acceptable?

It is frankly disheartening to see how the Department of Education fails to provide our children with the minimum tools to understand the world and to flourish by themselves. But all of this makes great systemic sense because it guarantees generations of dependent and therefore very complacent citizens. If you don’t know how the world works, it is impossible to change it.

But everybody relax! The Department of Education announced the creation of a commission of experts where, for sure, there will be representatives of prestigious foundations which in turn are full of more experts and which are very well-endowed with grants. So when they meet in this commission they will be very happy and no one will raise their hand to ask if they have to hire experts, commissions and foundations to do the work of the Department of Education, what exactly is the Department of Education for? So we could go back to financial education, and we would realise that knowing how public money is managed is also a dangerous subject because someone might ask these kinds of questions that are not in anybody’s interest.

Let’s try to find a solution

At 11Onze, we have been committed to financial education since the beginning. There are courses available in Learn, we started to roll out the 11Onze School project, we launched the series El Diner, and we continue to educate and inform about economics and finance every day through 11Onze Magazine. We try to make the economy understandable so that citizens can make informed decisions.

But the absolute truth is that we citizens are on our own. And that the years go by and the feeling of loneliness increases. And that there is only one way forward: to come together and make an effort. Hence, 11Onze’s desire to create a financially educated community. Only education will set us free. And quite clearly, this is the problem.

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Claims for fraudulent transactions submitted by customers to the Bank of Spain in 2022 doubled those of the previous year. A large proportion of these claims relate to payment transactions made by card or online transfer. We explain how to avoid the most common banking scams and what steps you need to take to make a claim.

The latest report published by the Bank of Spain detailing the number of complaints and queries handled in 2022 paints a worrying picture of the technological management of Spanish banks. Claims for fraudulent transactions increased by 109.1%, doubling those of the previous year. Specifically, 34,146 complaints were processed by the Bank of Spain’s Entity Conduct Department and almost one in three complaints (10,361, 30.3% of the total) was related to payment transactions made by card (86.1%) or by internet transfer (13.9%).

By institutions, CaixaBank, BBVA and Banco Santander received the most complaints, mainly because of their large volume of business, although CaixaBank and BBVA received more complaints than their market share. In any case, it is a widespread problem that affects practically all Spanish banks and will not go away given the growing popularity of online shopping.

In general, banking applications and online payments are very secure, but this security also depends to a large extent on the user’s own behaviour in preventing his or her personal bank account or card details from being compromised. That said, we can all fall victim to suspicious charges on our account or card, so let’s have a look at some of the most common banking scams.

Phishing and Smishing

Phishing and smishing practices stand out as one of the main causes behind the increase in complaints to the Bank of Spain. They consist of sending the victim a phishing email or a trap SMS/WhatsApp message (smishing) in order to obtain personal data, such as passwords, bank codes or account and credit card numbers. The email or message directs the customer to a fake duplicate of a website or mobile application that is very similar to one they normally use, such as a bank’s, so that they log in and have their information stolen. The false pretexts can be very varied: system update, data verification or technical problems.

Therefore, be wary of emails or SMS that look suspicious and do not open them. And, above all, do not give out your private banking information. Banks will never ask you for your personal details or passwords by email or text message.

Wishing

Wishing is just a variant of the previous scams, but in this case, it is carried out by telephone. The scammer poses as an employee of a bank or a real company and provides a link to a fake web page or asks the victim directly for personal data.

As in the previous cases, we must avoid providing our personal data. Likewise, do not trust offers or promotions that seem too good to be true. If in doubt, you can always contact the bank or company through their official channels.

How to make a complaint

If unauthorised transactions are made on your bank account, first change your passwords for all online services and file a complaint with the financial institution’s Customer Care or Ombudsman Service. You can do this using the official complaint form or by calling the free telephone number for incidents and complaints, asking for the reference number corresponding to your complaint.

At the same time, you can file a report at a Mossos d’Esquadra police station, but there is little chance of finding the person directly responsible for the crime because there are often criminal groups from outside the national territory.

If you have not received a response from the bank within 30 days, or if the response is not satisfactory, contact the consumer office in your municipality. If the bank does not reimburse you for the amount fraudulently withdrawn or the mediation is unsuccessful, you can go to the Bank of Spain or take it to court. Remember that if the amount of the claim does not exceed 2,000 euros, you do not need a lawyer or solicitor. You can find more information here.

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Provincial Courts, such as those of Cádiz, Zaragoza and Asturias, have condemned the Unión de Créditos Inmobiliarios (UCI), a finance company owned by Banco Santander, for breaching the rules of information transparency or declaring its system of capital amortisation null and void, with unaffordable repayments that have caused serious problems to many families.

During the years when the real estate bubble burst and amid a period of credit restrictions by the banks that have traditionally monopolised the largest shares of the mortgage market in Spain, Banco Santander was deriving high-risk mortgage loans from Unión de Créditos Inmobiliarios (UCI), its finance company, also owned by BNP Paribas.

These were mortgage loans that were unviable for most financial institutions because of the precarious economic situation of the customers requesting the loan, but which were approved by UCI. Faced with the need to buy a home or move house, thousands of young couples and families who had difficulty accessing a traditional mortgage loan opted for this alternative, which was presented to them as an attractive and affordable product. It is estimated that between 2009 and 2012, more than half a million mortgages of this type were marketed.

In most cases, these mortgages were marketed through real estate agencies that offered the management, negotiation and processing of mortgage loans with their real estate sales and purchase service. They acted as intermediaries for the UCI. Even so, the consumer only had contact with the UCI on the day of signing the contract in front of a notary, which is when he was faced with all the paperwork and small print.

An amortisation system with unaffordable repayments

As a general rule, Spanish banks’ mortgages are based on the French amortisation system, according to which the instalments you pay are constant or fixed and serve to pay part of the interest and part of the capital. During the first years of the mortgage, you pay more interest than capital, while in the last years almost all you pay is capital and the interest rate goes down.

Unlike these conventional mortgages, the principal repayment system of UCI mortgages establishes a very low fixed instalment during the initial period of the mortgage payment (between 5 and 10 years), but at an unusually high-interest rate, and the amount of interest that is not covered by the instalment is added to the capital of the loan. Therefore, debt continues to increase, generating new interest even if we keep up with the repayments. This is known in legal terms as anatocism and, in many cases, has generated exorbitant and unaffordable monthly repayments in the last years of the mortgage.

Although this is not an abusive practice per se and is included in the Commercial Code as legal, it is illegal and abusive for the consumer not to be informed of the economic scope of the clause. This is what has happened with these UCI mortgage loans when the applicable amortisation system was not even correctly specified in some of the mortgage contracts and many consumers were not informed diligently.

@atilalegal

UCI sabia lo que hacia y les dio igual llevar a miles de familias a la ruina con sus hipotecas. Ahora me enfrento a ellos y no pienso pararme en ningún punto del camino. Voy a llegar hasta el final y voy a pelear por TODO lo que les corresponde a mis clientes. Los bancos ya no salen impunes de esto. #uci #hipotecauci #hipoteca #psoe #pp #vox #prestamo #prestamohipotecario #usura #deuda #fondobuitre #bancos

♬ sonido original – Atila Legal – Atila Legal

The possibility of claiming IRPH

These mortgage loans used the Mortgage Loan Reference Index, better known as IRPH, as an alternative to EURIBOR for the calculation of interest on variable-rate mortgages. This value is obtained by calculating the average interest rate of the banks that grant mortgages on a monthly basis, which some courts consider may be abusive in its application.

After an in-depth analysis of users’ claims, on 13 July 2024, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) issued a ruling on the nullity of IRPH clauses, thus correcting the Supreme Court and establishing that customers have the possibility of claiming, but that the Spanish courts have to decide on each case individually, analysing whether certain standards of transparency were met when signing the mortgage contracts.

In other words, to be able to claim IRPH, judges have to check whether the clause in the contract has been drafted in a way that is understandable for the customer and whether it fits with the information the customer received from the bank before signing the contract. On the other hand, they assess whether the consumer was offered the possibility of contracting the loan referenced to EURIBOR, explaining the differences between one and the other.

@atilalegal

Declaran NULO el sistema de amortización de Uci. Aqui te explico porque siempre pagas más. Estamos preparando un paquete de miles de demandas contra Uci para que os devulevan todo vuestro dinero. Basta ya de usura! #hipoteca #prestamohipotecario #uci #bancos #prestamo #usura #psoe #pp #vox #dinero

♬ sonido original – Atila Legal – Atila Legal

An avalanche of consumer lawsuits

Although in the face of the claims of thousands of consumers affected by these mortgages, some Provincial Courts, such as those of Cádiz, Zaragoza and Asturias, had already ratified previous judgments of courts of first instance that condemned UCI for not having sufficiently explained the characteristics of these mortgages and for skipping the rules of informative transparency, declaring their amortisation system as null and void, the CJEU ruling opens the door to many more claims by affected consumers.

Thanks to this ruling of the Supreme Court, there is no specific deadline for claiming this abusive clause, since the claim can be filed at any time, even after the mortgage loan has been fully paid off. For this reason, some law firms have specialised in analysing these loans and determining whether the claim for abusive clauses is justified.

Once again, the banks will pay for having deceived their clients. Abusive practices have resulted in copious fines and penalties for these entities, as well as damage to their reputation, but which are periodically repeated in the face of a regulation and a sanctioning regime that continue to prove insufficient to guarantee consumer protection.

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We present a collection of the 11 best TikTok profiles made in Catalan. These young people have gained popularity on the trending social network by making videos in Catalan.

When we hear the word TikTok, the trending app born in China in September 2016 that allows us to make short music videos of up to 1 minute, many think that this platform is only dedicated to dancing, fashion, makeup, and fun. However, it brings us Catalans something more. Its use, in the hands of some young people, young influencers, has become a great tool for spreading and promoting Catalan. Today we want to let you know what we can consider the top eleven TikTokers which promote Catalan. Let’s get started!

1. ferranxidk: Ferran, who lives between Girona and Barcelona, is a guy who makes funny videos, has more than 70,000 followers and accumulates more than 9 million likes on TikTok.
2. long_lixue: This other well-known Catalan YouTuber, who lives in Girona and has Chinese nationality, also succeeds at TikTok. Well known for collaborating on iCat, he is also famous for fighting racism with millions of likes to his TikTok profile.
3. sanyesmag: This young man from La Garrotxa is famous for his magic videos. He has more than 27,000 followers and half a million likes on TikTok. He is a strong promoter of Catalan through this social network.
4. walter_capdevila: with nearly 200,000 followers and 5 million likes on the net, we could proclaim this Barcelonan the king of absurd humour. His TikTok profile is a guarantee of laughter.
5. misstagless: here we have Sílvia, with 10,000 followers and more than 150,000 likes on TikTok. This Valencian fights for the use and defence of Valencian, playing with home-made humour and a lot of personality.
6. filologa_de_guardia: this student of Catalan Philology is called Aida. Her TikTok profile has more than 5,000 followers and almost 50,000 likes. These will be your new Catalan online lessons!
7. apitxat: here we have Xavier, with almost 50,000 followers and a million likes. He is another activist for the Valencian lands. You’ll have plenty of jokes and humour in Valencian.
8. Can Putades: these girls are from La Garrotxa and live in Barcelona. They have 40,000 followers and almost 1 million likes. Their videos raise unknown words in Catalan from the Garrotxa region, among other funny videos of jokes from their day to day, without ceasing to have Catalan as the basis of their TikTok profile.
9. Aroagr8: here we have Aroa and Paula, with 15,000 followers and over 130,000 likes. Famous from confinement, these two girls play with words according to their region, one in Girona and the other in Amposta. Listening to Catalan had never been so curious.
10.  Bertaarocach: if you prefer a Catalan profile that sticks for its energy and its typical teenager performances that you will want to see time and time again, here is Berta. A profile with more than 100,000 followers and 4 million likes.
11. julen_music: as we are in the summer, and with the sun we feel like dancing, we say goodbye with Julen’s profile. He makes some superb versions of well-known songs, playing with Txarango’s music, or doing a mix of Plats Bruts with music from the Friends show. He has about 10,000 followers and almost 90,000 likes on TikTok.

The previous TikTok profiles have thousands of followers on the trending social network, and best of all, they have gained popularity by showing themselves to the world in Catalan.

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And the next day, nothing was ever the same again. The Catalan state disappeared ‘ipso facto’ with the abolition of the Generalitat, the municipal dismemberment and the annulment of the Catalan constitutions following the loss of the War of Succession (1701 -1714). After this, the only administration that remained active in Catalonia was the army of occupation, which, by maintaining some 25,000 permanent soldiers within the Principality, consolidated the Bourbon objective by means of harsh repression that would last until the mid-18th century. But not everyone faired badly…

As a result of the victory, the elite of the Bourbon army was permanently installed in Catalonia: the Royal Castilian Guards and the Royal Walloon Guards, reinforced by other special military occupation contingents. The total number of troops deployed throughout Catalonia was 47% of the total for the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. And if we add those deployed in the rest of the territories of the Catalan Countries – Valencia, Majorca and Aragon – the figure rises to 65%. A full-blown invasion.

The drafting of the Nueva Planta Decree would turn Catalonia into just another province of a new centralised monarchy that would rule over the entire Iberian Peninsula without legal differences. Thus, the dream of a Hispanic monarchy based on the existence of different kingdoms and cultural realities on the peninsula would crumble, but it would not disappear. From then on, there would only be a single Cortes, those of Castile, which would represent the whole of the peninsular territories, but would focus on a new political construction structured around identifying Castile with the new state.

Eighteenth-century Catalonia would be a territory governed solely by the military. The supreme head of the administration of Catalonia would be the Captain General. Territorial administration – the ‘corregimientos’ – would be in the hands of the ‘corregidores’, who would always be military men. Public order – in the first instance – would always be in the hands of the army and the famous “Veciana Squads”. This institution was founded in 1719 by Pere Anton Veciana Rabassa, a deserter from the Austracist cause who in early 1713 decided to place himself at the service of the Bourbon king and create a paramilitary and police organisation that would work at the service of the Captain General -Francisco Pío de Saboya y Moura-, with the mission of continuing to repress internal Bourbon resistance.

Veciana would set up a system of criminal files – known as ‘summary files’ – which would enable the corps to systematise police information. He also created a network of informers throughout the territory and organised the first agents to infiltrate the resistance. In 1735, Veciana had to resign his post for reasons of age, and it was then that the Captain General transferred the responsibilities of the corps to his son, Pere Màrtir Veciana. From then on, the command of the corps would be inherited by the Veciana family for five generations, until 1836.

Repression and state terrorism

For eleven years, Catalonia was subjected to harsh military repression, which lasted until 1725, when, through the Treaty of Vienna between the representatives of Philip V of Castile and Charles VI of Austria, the two sides mutually recognised each other’s succession rights and put an end to the dynastic dispute.

And what happened to the supporters who fought in favour of the Archduke of Austria’s choice? During the war, as the Bourbon armies occupied the Principality, a kind of ‘military terrorism’ was applied, which consisted of persecuting the local population, regardless of the degree of connection they had had with the Austracist cause, with the aim of undermining morale. After the fall of Barcelona, the main military commanders who had not been able to flee to Austria – such as Antoni de Villarroel – were indiscriminately persecuted and sent to prisons scattered around the Iberian Peninsula. Most of them ended up dying without ever regaining their freedom, while others were sent to the galleys.

The long post-war period allowed the repression to continue against all the armed elements that were still fighting against the new legal system, such as the notorious ‘carrasclets’. But all those families whose members were in exile in Austria were also persecuted and forbidden from maintaining any correspondence. The losers of the war were to have their property seized and all their rights revoked. They would even be banned from taking part in all public tenders or applying for state aid.

The establishment of permanent contingents in Catalonia would lead to a significant increase in military demand due to the need to supply royal troops. According to the General Manuals of the Quartermaster’s Office of Catalonia – an institution created to manage the post-war period – between 1714 and 1735 a total of 271 ‘asientos’ or contracts directly related to the supply of materials to the army and navy are recorded: gunpowder, weapons, artillery trains, uniforms, food, ironwork for horses.

The ‘asientos’ were also used for the construction or supply of barracks, such as the Ciutadella, and to produce everything necessary for subsequent Bourbon military campaigns, such as those in Italy. And this supply would come about thanks to the existence of a considerable productive, commercial and financial structure that had remained unchanged despite the war, and which would be capable of solvently producing the ‘seats’ that the monarchy would need over the following decades.

Catalan collaborationism

So, the question to ask ourselves is clear: how was it possible to maintain a Catalan productive structure in the context of the war at the beginning of the 18th century? How was it possible to supply the Bourbon army during the invasion of Catalonia and the siege of Barcelona in a territory that was completely unknown to them? Well, with the help of local characters who supplied, lent or helped the Bourbon army of occupation with food, money and logistics throughout that turbulent period. They were a group of merchants who changed sides – just like Pere Anton de Veciana – in search of a more favourable personal situation and taking advantage of the circumstances to improve their social and economic position.

Names such as the Milans of Arenys, the Mates and Lapeira of Mataró or the Massiques of Vilassar and many others would be great family names that would establish their prestige throughout the 18th century for having obtained important privileges as thanks for the services rendered during the occupation of the Principality. Many of these “illustrious” figures would be placed in key institutions for the deployment and execution of the Nueva Planta Decree, because otherwise it would not have been possible.

The new regime would pass “a disinfectant cotton wool over Catalonia”, in order to subsequently build a new network of local loyalties that would consolidate it within the territory. This reason why they were placed at the head of key institutions, such as the General Treasury (Catalonia’s taxation), the General Intendancy (Catalonia’s supply and logistics), the Confiscations of Catalonia (seizure of property) and the Bureau de Change (communal bank), a minority but large sector of the Principality’s population who, for various reasons, sided with the Bourbon proposal. In this way, the monarchy combined the principle of authority, as represented by the laws deployed in the Nueva Planta Decree, with a large institutional bureaucracy and flexibility with certain local social sectors, mainly the master craftsmen and merchants, who had sufficient economic resources to boost the economy.

The self-interested attachment of these sectors of Catalan society to the new Bourbon State gave them access to new sources of income derived directly from the new policies of Bourbon absolutism. Loyalty would give them access to large public contracts, which would lead to widespread corruption at all levels of public administration.

Until the end of the 1740s, Catalonia underwent a painful period of adaptation to its new status as a defeated nation, always suspected of disaffection. From then on, economic policy decisions were no longer taken in Barcelona, but at the Bourbon Court, following criteria based on the dreams of grandeur of the new reigning monarchy, regardless of the needs of its subjects.

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benet Oliva i Ricós: ‘Els proveïdors catalans de l’exèrcit borbònic durant el setge de Barcelona de 1713/1714’, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 2014.

David Ferré Gispets: Els efectes del “Contractor State” borbònic a la Catalunya d’inicis del segle XVIII, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 2019.

Josep Maria Delgado Ribas: ‘Barcelona i el model econòmic de l’absolutisme borbònic: un tret per la culata’, Barcelona Quaderns d’Història, 23 (2016), pàg. 225-242.

Josep Juan Vidal: ‘Les conseqüències de la guerra de Successió: nous imposts a la Corona d’Aragó, una penalització o un futur impuls per al creixement econòmic?’, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, 2013.

Find out about the families that were enriched by the defeat of 1714 on 11Onze TV.

Durant la Diada els catalans ens deixem endur pel romanticisme i els ídols de la resistència que van intentar preservar les llibertats. Casanova, Villarroel, Moragues, Carrasclet… però les guerres són una qüestió de diners i cal mirar-les amb fredor i autocrítica. Hi ha una colla de catalans que van optar per fer negoci amb l’invasor, essent així decisius per a la seva victòria.

Toni Mata. Director de continguts i mitjans d’11Onze.

Que les guerres les guanyen els diners és una cosa que se sap des de fa més de 2.400 anys. Ja ho va deixar escrit Tucídides parlant de les guerres del Peloponès. Però quan s’acosta l’11 de setembre els catalans tendim a treure la llista de greuges en lloc de posar-nos a pensar on la vam cagar. El cap del general Moragues exposat durant dotze anys en una gàbia, la brutalitat de la repressió, la resistència de Villarroel, la persistència de Carrasclet, el poble enterrant els traïdors fora muralles perquè “al Fossar de les Moreres no s’hi enterra cap traïdor”… Tot això està molt bé. Però qualsevol país que pretengui ser-ho s’ha de prendre una mica més seriosament a si mateix i deixar-se de romanços. Si l’any 1714 Catalunya va caure va ser perquè es va perdre una guerra i, si es va perdre va ser per molts factors. Un dels que va ser clau és el col·laboracionisme.

Qui es va fer ric amb la victòria de Felip V?

L’avenç de Felip V per Catalunya no hauria estat possible sense que una sèrie de catalans hi contribuïssin prioritzant el benefici econòmic individual per davant del país. Potser aquells ciutadans no tenien consciència de país, però qui sí que la tenia era l’exèrcit borbònic que, tal com explica l’historiador d’11Onze Oriol Garcia en aquest article, va mantenir el 65% de les seves tropes als Països Catalans durant anys per consolidar la invasió.

Efectivament, hi ha catalans que van decidir fer negoci amb els Borbons mentre aquests destruïen el país i les llibertats de tots. I es van fer rics! Es van fer rics subministrant aliments o tota mena de necessitats que tenia l’exèrcit invasor a mesura que avançava. Què hauria passat si aquests subministraments bàsics haguessin quedat tallats a la rereguarda? Felip V hauria pogut mantenir la contesa bèl·lica? Fa de mal dir, però és ben sabut que la flota naval austriacista (que comptava amb el suport català) era capaç de mantenir el subministrament de les seves tropes, però la borbònica no. Depenien del que poguessin comprar a terra ferma.

Per això, a 11Onze hem volgut demanar al nostre historiador que se submergís en els estudis sobre aquesta idea: quins catalans hi van guanyar amb la victòria de Felip V? És a dir, qui el va ajudar i se’n va beneficiar? I el resultat és espaordidor. Prop d’una trentena de famílies catalanes es van fer riques traint el seu propi país. Famílies que van obrir les portes a l’invasor i van ser convenientment recompensades amb contractes públics a partir de 1714. La nova elit catalana es va configurar durant la guerra de Successió. El poble intentava resistir, però alguns apostaven per intentar fer fortuna a costa d’entregar el país a l’enemic. Hem llistat els casos més rellevants, amb noms i cognoms, perquè més de 300 anys després siguem més conscients que mai que alguns catalans van tenir un paper clau en la derrota de Catalunya. 

Trencar la dependència

És el que en podríem anomenar, les paguetes de 1714, fent un símil amb la terminologia actual. La història és reiterativa i és imprescindible conèixer-la per detectar els errors que duen a les desgràcies. És possible defensar Catalunya i que el teu negoci o el de la teva família depengui directament dels ajuts espanyols de l’ICO? O el teu sou? La història diu que no. De la història sabem que és impossible parlar cara a cara o defensar-se d’algú de qui tens una dependència econòmica. I sabem que hi ha catalans capaços de vendre a Déu i a sa mare per un plat de llenties. La consciència nacional estava al segle XVIII (i potser ara?) en un segon terme, per a alguns.

En qualsevol cas, per començar a canviar les coses és ben clar que el primer que hem de fer és dir-nos la veritat. És un compromís que tenim a 11Onze. Per això hem volgut fer aquesta revisió històrica per poder-nos dir clarament: Catalunya no va ser derrotada el 1714 perquè fos abandonada pels anglesos. No tot és culpa d’algú altre. Catalunya va ser venuda per alguns catalans. 

Descobreix les famílies que es van enriquir amb la derrota de 1714 a 11Onze TV.

You have probably heard of the sharing economy, i.e. all those activities that involve the exchange of goods and services between people. But what exactly characterises this model, and how can it be put into practice in the digital age?

Before the collaborative economy became a trend, its consumption was limited to the closest circle. Everything stayed at home, it was almost on a family scale. However, thanks to the Internet, it is possible to connect with people from all over the world with common interests. The digitalisation of society and the economic crisis have favoured the development of new business models and new forms of consumption.

The collaborative economy has several advantages. Firstly, it allows us to optimise resources, as we can make our products more useful. In addition, it also offers the end consumer greater variety. It is also a good model for making savings, because customers can buy second-hand goods and services at a lower price than the market price. All of this generates an ecosystem based on commitment, solidarity, and the generation of ideas, often from entrepreneurs with new businesses, which generate employment, wealth, and innovation.

On the other hand, it should also be borne in mind that the collaborative economy, being a model between individuals, doesn’t have a legally regulated market and competition is quite unfair. For this reason, it is a sector that gives rise to complaints and protests from the sectors affected, which can leave consumers unprotected.

Collaborative economy, a range of possibilities

Within this collaborative economy model, which is also typically referred to as the “sharing economy”, there are many types, with different functions, varying according to needs and products. There are, for example, collaborative consumption companies, which use digital platforms through which users contact each other to exchange goods or items, such as collaborative transport, collaborative accommodation and collaborative second-hand trade, among others.

There are also open knowledge companies, all those that promote the dissemination of knowledge without legal or administrative barriers. They can be presented on a day-to-day basis through computer platforms to which users with needs come. There is also the collaborative production model, digital interaction networks that promote the dissemination of projects or services of all kinds. The difference with the two previous models is that what is offered is also produced within these platforms.

Finally, there are the crowdfunding initiatives. Microcredits, loans, savings, donations, and financing channels are included in this subgroup, where users contact each other to cover needs in any of these aspects. The best example is crowdfunding platforms, a funding model for those who wish to donate to specific initiatives.

The four characteristics of the model

Despite the heterogeneity of the companies and industries that fall within this model, sharing economy companies can be described by four characteristics:

1. They employ information technologies (ICT), available through web-based platforms such as mobile “apps” on internet-enabled devices, to facilitate transactions between two parties.
   
2. They rely on user-based rating systems for quality control, ensuring a level of trust between consumers and service providers that did not exist before.
3. They offer flexibility to workers because this team often delivers its services through digital matching platforms.
4. The team has its own tools. To the extent that tools and assets are necessary to deliver a service, digital matching companies rely on workers to use their own.

In short, the collaborative economy model can help our companies grow, because it allows consumers to save money, because it is committed to sustainable development, because it promotes a new management of resources, because there is more choice and because, in the end, all of this brings environmental benefits.

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Learning the value of money can be so much more than a game for children. Passing on the values of economy to them can bring them values such as responsibility, collaboration, saving, learning to negotiate, or even entrepreneurship.

Experts recommend starting to talk about private and family financial management from the age of seven, when children can become aware that the ATM does not give money because it is magical, but because adults, with their work, earn it and keep it in the bank.

It is within the family that the first values about money are learned. Today, most children in our society have grown up in a consumerist system that has made them used to having it all, and having it all now. In this sense, the first lesson to be learned is that access to money is limited to one’s own productive capacity. They need to be taught to see the value of living within their limitations, and to be aware from a very young age that knowing how to spend is as important as knowing how to save.

Children and teenagers, the great consumers

Montse Junyent, educated in business management and administration, advises passing on to children “the value of money, which is hard to earn and must be used ethically“. Show them, from an early age, that all the decisions we make have an economic impact, from buying and accumulating toys, to the practice of buying and throwing, food waste, or even the use of plastic bags. Children can understand that one of these bags can end up in the sea and take four hundred and fifty years to disintegrate. Make them aware that the Earth is finite, and we must take responsibility and take care of it through sustainable consumption actions. Adults and children must be consistent with this idea and act responsibly in all areas, in our relationship with people, with the environment, with the world, or with our way of consuming.

Junyent also defends the economy of the common good, with the aim of “contributing to the construction of a more sustainable and fair life system”. She is committed to “transmitting and publicizing sustainable alternative economic models and helping children to grow as committed people, with criteria, information, and a desire to change what they do not like.” That is, to give children all the tools that allow them to be independent and make their own decisions, based on values such as commitment, sustainability, honesty, innovation, and creativity.

Values that can be passed on in many ways, including through games or stories, and that begin in school. Sustainability, for example, is one of the issues of most concern today, and therefore much talked about within the education system. On the other hand, according to Junyent, children are not taught to talk about economics from an ethical and responsible point of view as much as they should.

The value of money through pay

Many parents have doubts about whether to give money to their children. They often wonder when they should start giving their children allowance, and what the ideal amount is.

Allowance can be an important way of teaching children how to manage and value money, a learning that will serve them well in the future. There is no set age to start using money, but it is essential that when they do, they understand its value and the importance of saving.

Some parents associate pay with doing household chores, a view that many questions, arguing that all members of the family should collaborate in this type of activity. Whatever the mentality, the point is that the model of education that the child receives must be coherent. Therefore, it is not a question of whether to pay or not, but to find the perfect formula for learning through values.

Suggesting to children what they should spend their allowance on

As the child gets older, the allowance can be increased, always depending on the use that is made of it. It is important to suggest to children what they should spend it on, taking into account their wishes and the need they have for the product in question. Beyond avoiding the purchase of products that may not benefit them, it is important to establish a fluid conversation, without imposing anything, where we make them see the consequences of each of their purchases. It will also be a good time to show them new forms of consumption, always opting for a sustainable consumption model, which can provide a real benefit and for as long as possible over time, and for them to understand, in short, that money is there to make their lives easier and that using it unconsciously can lead to negative situations.

We usually start this teaching at around five or six years of age, although it can also be beneficial to do so at preschool age. For example, you can show them how picking up their toys can have a reward, whether in the form of a treat or something else, the point is to learn that if our actions have a positive impact, we will be rewarded. And maybe at first it will be through material things, or when we start working it will be through money, but over the years this teaching will mean that the best reward is the one we make for ourselves, based on our own values.

Teaching to save and share

A good way to show the importance of saving can be to divide the money that the child receives, from an early age, into two parts. The first is in the form of a piggy bank that they can keep at home, where they can keep all the money that can be spent, which would be the daily economy. On the other hand, you can have a bank account where you can put money for future savings. In this way, he will create a relationship with money from both perspectives and understand its importance.

Another important learning will be about sharing. Money does not have to be an individual possession, it can also be shared. An idea that may seem controversial socially, as we relate to money from the point of view of possession and, therefore, it individualises it. Educating children in this issue will allow them to experience this relationship from another point of view, with a more collective vision and social responsibility. It is important to show, by example, that money can be a tool to help others, from making donations to the most disadvantaged to shopping in a specific shop where the profits are used for social projects. There are many ways to help, and it is worth instilling this habit in children and young people.

In conclusion, children need to be taught clear lessons about money, and the best way will always be through practice, copying the behaviours they see at home. Therefore, parents should be the example of this learning, teaching them not to buy on impulse, but to plan their goals, both in the short and long term. When the time is right, they can be encouraged to do small paid chores, and if approached from an educational point of view, giving them pay can become a decisive way of teaching children to manage and value money, a lesson that can mark their lives. Finally, and taking into account the weight that the new generations carry for the future, focus on teaching based on the construction of a more sustainable and fairer system of life for all.

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És sostenible el sistema de pensions? Com hauria de canviar la seguretat social per poder suportar l’envelliment de la població? Podem confiar que l’Estat seguirà pagant les pensions? És bona idea dependre de la decisió del govern de torn? Tot plegat ho respon el catedràtic d’Ecomomia Política Jesús Huerta de Soto a la sèrie documental ‘Ni justicia ni social’.

A 11Onze la nostra voluntat és apropar el coneixement econòmic a la població perquè tothom sigui conscient del que passa i pugui pensar què cal fer. Aquest dimarts, us recomanem una producció que Value School ha estrenat recentment. Es tracta de la sèrie documental ‘Ni justicia ni social’, dirigida per Jesús Huerta de Soto, catedràtic d’Economia Política de la Universitat Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid.

Dependre de l’Estat

El sistema de pensions públiques el va crear Otto von Bismarck, pare de l’Alemanya moderna i el seu primer canceller. L’any 1889 va fundar el primer sistema de jubilacions de la història. I ho va fer per motius polítics. En aquell moment, necessitava aturar l’avenç del socialisme i, amb aquesta mesura es va guanyar el favor dels treballadors. Aleshores, Bismarck tenia un objectiu claríssim a llarg termini: fer que els ciutadans fossin dependents de l’Estat.

Aquella mesura política va fer fortuna i es va escampar pel món. El 1935 el president dels Estats Units, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (el pare del ‘New Deal’) va crear la Seguretat Social moderna. Apostava per un sistema de pensions de repartiment, no de capitalització. Quina diferència hi ha? El sistema de capitalització fa que cada treballador aparti una part del seu sou de manera nominal i la recuperi en jubilar-se. Com una mena de pla de pensions públic: et generes la teva pròpia pensió. 

En canvi, el sistema de repartiment aposta perquè siguin els treballadors actuals els que paguin les pensions actuals. És a dir, l’Estat té una entrada i una sortida de diners. Això, el 1935, no era problema perquè als Estats Units hi havia 52 treballadors per cada jubilat. Actualment, però, la mitjana europea i nord-americana és de dos treballadors per cada jubilat. I, per tant, el sistema s’enfonsa. Més encara si es té en compte que les pensions són superiors als salaris dels treballadors. Això vol dir que mantenir el sistema de pensions actual suposa destruir l’estalvi i, per tant, la capacitat econòmica dels treballadors.

Però el sistema de repartiment de pensions té el problema que crea dependència per part dels treballadors quan es jubilen. S’ha destruït l’estalvi, perquè no tenen capacitat d’estalviar i perquè, a més, es refien que l’Estat els pagarà una pensió. En l’actualitat, el 70% dels jubilats espanyols depenen de la seva pensió. Aleshores què cal fer?

Recuperar el model de la Segona República

A Espanya, abans del cop d’Estat que va dur a la Guerra Civil i la dictadura, ja existia el que s’anomenava “Régimen de capitalización en el retiro obrero”. És a dir, un sistema de capitalització nominal per als treballadors. Franco va apostar pel sistema de repartiment i ho va fer, evidentment, gastant els diners acumulats pel sistema de capitalització. Allò el va fer molt popular, però acabava d’hipotecar el futur de les pensions.

En aquest capítol de ‘Ni justicia ni social’, Huerta de Soto aposta per tornar al sistema de capitalització de pensions. I troba una manera per evitar que el canvi d’un sistema a l’altre impacti directament en el deute públic. Un joc de mans econòmic que depèn exclusivament de canviar el sistema financer. Novament, la banca privada està al mig del problema, però amb polítics valents també podria estar a mig camí de la solució.

Capítol 1 de ‘Ni justicia ni social’. Les pensions.

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Have you ever had the feeling that you are wasting time while attending a meeting with your teammates and/or your boss? You are in the meeting, but are you thinking about other things? Can these sensations be avoided by making meetings more efficient? We try to explain how.

According to team building and leadership specialists, one of the essential issues is to be clear about why you are calling a meeting. Sometimes, we have the feeling that we are in that room, simply because you have been told to or because it’s on the calendar, without a defined objective.

Nowadays, and after everything that has happened in the last year, there are also those who distinguish between the organisation of face-to-face meetings and virtual meetings, given that the latter are not always easy to control, either because everyone is talking at the same time or because the attendees’ connections start to fail.

But in any case, the essential guidelines are the same:

1. Before convening a meeting, whether it is face-to-face or virtual, we must be clear about the objective: What do we want to achieve? Is it really necessary?
2. If possible, it should be planned with enough time to inform the interested parties, so that they can prepare for the meeting as well as the convenor, and so that the time is used to the maximum. Similarly, if necessary, it is advisable to provide attendees with the necessary documentation.
3. The invitation should only reach the essential people. There is no point in having 20 people attending if only 5 are really interested and/or affected. For the company, time is money, and it is not productive to have a lot of people as forced spectators.
4. Calculating the duration of the meeting is also important to avoid it taking longer than necessary, and obviously you have to be punctual in order to keep to the timetable. When calculating the duration of the meeting, we must think about setting aside time for requests and questions that can be asked at the end of the meeting.
5. The space where the meeting is held, in the case of face-to-face meetings, must be adequate for the number of people convened, and must have all the technological and analogue tools necessary to clearly set out all the issues to be discussed.
6. Once in the meeting, we have to assign the “role” that each of the attendees has to assume, if the interventions have to be marked. What is clear is that there must be a moderator, who will usually be the convenor, to avoid diluting the objective for which we are meeting.
7. For a correct development, before starting, the moderator must read the agenda in order to be clear about the issues to be discussed or resolved, and make clear the reason for the meeting. From this point onwards, he or she must ensure that the time allocated to each of the topics and speakers is respected, so that the established timetable is adhered to and everyone can make their points.
8. Once all the scheduled interventions have been completed, it is time for Q&A, in order to polish the topics dealt with, resolve any doubts that may have arisen, and decide whether any new contributions should be made before ending the session.
9. In the closing session, it is important to define the conclusions drawn, as well as the solutions to the problems that have arisen during the meeting, and the deadlines for carrying out the actions to be undertaken.
10. Finally, it is important to draw up a summary or a record of the minutes that includes everything that has been presented, interventions, conclusions, and even details the decisions that have been taken and the actions that must be carried out from now on.

The achievement of all these premises should guarantee effective and efficient internal meetings, meetings with suppliers and meetings with clients, so that we do not end up with a feeling of wasted time. It is especially important to make the most of time in order to achieve productivity and efficiency objectives that generate the economic benefits necessary for the survival of an organisation, thus guaranteeing the professional and personal stability of all those involved.

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