The reasons that Spain is more interesting to me are a little more esoteric.  It's an example of a region that started to behave differently than the rest of the country, and then the rest of the country followed.  It seems to be a good model for rusted out industrial districts (like the Great Lakes region in the US).  It's fascinating at a theoretical level, so it's a good topic to write a dissertation on because it's something  that people might cite.  And that's the currency of the American professor.  

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg