Research at Barcelona Graduate School of Economics
The Barcelona GSE is a university research institute attached to the UPF and the UAB. It is composed of four academic units: the Department of Economics and Business of the UPF, the Unit of Economic Analysis of the UAB, the Institute of Economic Analysis of the CSIC, and the Center for Research in International Economics (CREI). As such, the School's affiliated professors form the core of its research community. In addition, the GSE's Recognition Program acknowledges publications in top Economics journals by scholars attached to any Catalan institution. GSE Affiliated Professors participating in the program acquire the condition of Barcelona GSE Research Fellow, while those who are members of other institutions are considered External Research Fellows.
Prof. Omar Licandro (IAE and Barcelona GSE) is the Research Director of the Barcelona GSE and chairs the School's Research Committee, composed of the directors of the School’s four academic bodies, which guides the development of the Barcelona GSE research policy.
The research activities of the Barcelona GSE community cover most areas of Economics, including Macroeconomics and Growth, Microeconomics, Financial Economics, Public Economics, Decisions and Games, and Quantitative and Experimental Methods in Economics.
A long history of scientific cooperation
The Barcelona GSE is grounded in a strong research community with a long history of cooperation, first formalized in 2003 with the establishment of the network Xarxa de Referència d’R+D+I en Economia Analítica (CREA), as one of the ‘reference networks’ created by the Government of Catalonia with the aim to support research groups with international impact. That network was tasked with the coordination of the research activities of the four groups that became the academic units of the Barcelona GSE, and the network CREA was incorporated to the School as its tool for scientific cooperation.
The Barcelona GSE community constitutes one of the leading clusters of economics research in Europe and worldwide. In 2011, Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) ranked Barcelona GSE #3 among top European institutions, #9 among economics departments world-wide, and #13 among the top economic research centers in the world for scientific output.
Three earlier studies in the Journal of the European Economic Association placed the GSE community near the top of its rankings as well. According to J. Drèze and F. Estevan “Research and Higher Education in Economics: Can We Deliver The Lisbon Objectives?” (May 2007), the Barcelona GSE’s total research output would rank between #2 and #3 in Europe and #20 worldwide.
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Barcelona GSE Research Rankings
Severo Ochoa Research Excellence Accreditation
In 2011, Barcelona GSE was distinguished as one of only eight top research institutions of excellence with an international impact in the framework of the Severo Ochoa Program, sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The program grants four million euros to each center to promote frontier research and distinguish those institutions that are defining the global scientific debate.
Benefits of the Severo Ochoa accreditation:
- Four million euros (one million euros a year for four years)
- Preferential access to the best research facilities
- Improved access to other competitive calls
- Flexibility to hire new researchers
- Increased visibility and capacity for attracting sponsors
Accreditation process:
- Evaluation by selection committee composed of international researchers and led by three Nobel Prize laureates
(in Social Sciences: Prof. Roger B. Myerson, University of Chicago)
- Examination of research activities and human resources
- Analysis of institutional outlook and projected results
A total of 75 candidate centers were analyzed in a rigorous accreditation process for this competitive program. Candidates in three areas were considered: Physical Sciences and Engineering; Life Sciences and Medicine; and Social Sciences and Humanities. The Barcelona GSE was the only center in the latter category to be recognized by the program.
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1 This position coincides with the two previous analysis when counting the today GSE four academic bodies aggregated. Based on the study by P. Kalaitzidakis, T.P. Mamuneas, and T. Stengos “Ranking of Academic Journals and Institutions in Economics” (May 2002), it would be ranked #2, when their top 30 journals are taken into account (period 1995-1999). Based on another study by M. Lubrano, L. Bauwens, A. Kirman and C. Protopopescu, “Ranking Economics Departments in Europe: A Statistical Approach” (May 2003), it would be ranked #3 when their top journal list is considered (period 1991-2000).
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