Legal reform and the devolution of the Spanish Port System: An econometric assessment

Successive changes to the legal framework affecting the Spanish Port System have been implemented over the last 25 years, forcing maritime operators to adapt to new rules. Based on a comprehensive literature review of studies addressing Spanish port devolution, our paper provides the most up-to-date evaluation of the impacts of these changes. Apart from the correlation between port activity and the economic cycle, an encouraging finding highlighted here is that legal reforms underpinned by broad political and port community consensus appear to be effective in attracting passenger and container traffic.