This book analyses the socio-economic problems of the Busturialdea-Urdaibai region before the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its population evolution and the recording of its human, social, natural, cultural and infrastructural resources. The economic regional decline in terms of production, activity and employment, especially in its two main towns, Gernika-Lumo and Bermeo, is made clear, as well as the lack of solvent projects for the future. After a critical commentary on the economic and territorial policies applied, the possibilities for the future are pointed out in positive terms: in the era of digitalisation, green transition and knowledge, and thanks to the qualifications of its population and its natural and cultural assets, it is possible to reverse deindustrialisation through sustainable industry with high added value, as well as continuing to support the primary and tertiary sectors. To this end, a strategic plan is suggested, agreed by consensus between the political, institutional and social forces, supported by public and private institutional and financial tools that guarantee its fulfilment.
Ramón Zallo Elgezabal (Gernika-Lumo, 1948) has a degree in Law and Economics and a PhD in Information Sciences. He was an economic analyst at Caja Laboral (Arrasate) in 1974. He has been a professor of Audiovisual Communication and, more recently, professor emeritus at the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea. Since 1978 he has specialised in matters of structure, economy and cultural and communication policies, and has been honoured for his work by the Spanish Association of Communication Research in 2020. Apart from his social commitment and his analyses in the media, he has published several books on Basque politics and culture (Euskadi o la Segunda Transición; El Pueblo Vasco, hoy. Cultura, historia y sociedad en la era de la diversidad y del conocimiento); and numerous titles on culture and communication, the first of them Economía de la comunicación y la cultura, and the latest Tendencias en comunicación. Digital culture and power. He served as advisor on Culture to the Basque Government, as deputy minister, in the 2002-2009 legislatures.
