The first oil crisis, that of 1973-1974, ended up generating, especially in the developed Western world, a situation that was defined as "stagflation", that is, the simultaneity of economic stagnation and inflation. The world had come from a place where the two concepts were quite opposed, given that stagnation was fought with expansionary policies that were inflationary and inflation could be reduced with stabilization policies (i.e., stagnation or contraction). The repetition of expansionary policies simultaneous to the existence of strong supply inflation —the increase in the price of oil was due to unforeseen extra-economic causes—, ended up meaning that economic stimulus policies were useless. Only the same stagnation that was sought to be combated was achieved, but with the addition of inflation.

El Prat Airport opened the 21st century with nearly 20 million passengers, and last year reached 55 million, consolidating its position as one of the largest in Europe. This milestone was possible thanks to the expansion approved in 1999 and carried out throughout the first decade of the century, which included the construction of the sea runway and Terminal 1. Now, the airport has reached its maximum capacity, and the government of President Salvador Illa has just approved the expansion proposed by Aena for six years.

In economics, as in any other field, constantly repeated clichés can become commonplaces that end up shaping majority public opinion. Regarding the recurring issue of the Catalan production model, the idea has taken hold that the country is relentlessly deindustrializing, turning into a "tourist factory," which would largely explain the slowdown in productivity and the stagnation of the Catalan standard of living. Like all persistent clichés, this view of things has some truth, although the reality is much more nuanced. A particularly damaging consequence of clichés is that they divert attention from other facts that are equally or more relevant. In this case, they hide some underlying trends that are less visible, but no less significant.