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International New York Times:
Finally, a national team

15 June 2014

Every team is simply trying to score goals while preventing its opponent from doing the same. But they all seem to go about it in distinct ways, don't they? To understand what is happening on the fields in Brazil at the World Cup, one must learn a bit about each country's history, and literature, and music, and regionalism, and economy - not to mention bicycles and pottery. If you look closely enough at the X's and O's, you just might find a national poem.

Luis Garicano on the Spanish team: Spain's recent run of success, fueled by an extraordinary generation of players, took place amid a staggering economic crisis that has only increased separatist fervor. The success has served as a challenge to soccer regionalism, but it also owes a debt to a remarkable human story that has kept regional tensions from dividing the team.
Luis Garicano is a professor of economics and strategy at the London School of Economics and the author of ''El Dilema de Espana''.

This article was published by the International New York Times on June 15, 2014
Link to article here

Related publications
El Dilema De Espana, Luis Garicano. Published by Grup 62, January 2014
Details here

Related links
Luis Garicano webpage
Productivity and Innovation Programme webpage

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