El mito de la California del cobre: el impacto del boom minero en el tejido empresarial onubense.

Abstract

In the mid 19th century, a select group of entrepreneurs attracted by the “mining boom”, with ties to European and Spanish trade networks, settled in the city of Huelva. This paper addresses the evolution in the long run of this business network, which was responsible for the take-off of industrialization in the province, and the complex relations between entrepreneur, firm and the environment from an integrated point of view.  First, 10 family firms spanning over two periods, separated by World War I, are analysed. After that, the institutional network which supported these entrepreneurs is studied. In the last section, in view of the relevance of the mining sector in the local economy, and within a provincial scale, some reflections are presented on the dynamic relations between availability of natural resources, institutional framework and the business network.