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Salvador Barbera Awarded Prestigious Rei Jaume I Prize
GSE Affiliated Professor Salvador Barberà has been named as one of the six recipients of the 2008 edition of the Rei Jaume I Prize, an award given annually to recognize the significant contributions of top Spanish scientists.
Professor Barberà, who is Director of the GSE Research Network (formerly CREA) and Professor at the UAB, is being awarded the prize in recognition for his important role in the development of economics research in Spain, in particular his promotion of the emerging field of economics of science and innovation. Professor Barberà is Program Director of the GSE’s Msc in the Economics of Science and Innovation, which he helped create in 2006.
The Secretary of the Foundation of the Rei Jaime I Award, Santiago Grisolía, announced the awardees on June 3rd during a ceremony in Valencia attended by the president of the Valencian Government, Francisco Camps.
Reacting to news of the award, Professor Barberà said "I am honored by the prize. It adds me to a list of scientists that I respect a lot, and that already included BSE professors Jordi Galí and Joan Maria Esteban.” Since the creation of the Economics category in 1991, three GSE Affiliated Professors have received the prize: Salvador Barberà this year, Joan María Esteban (GSE and IAE-CSIC) in 2007, and Jordi Galí (GSE and CREI) in 2004.
“I feel it is a recognition of my lifetime research work in Social Choice Theory, and I am also glad that the nomination mentions my recent interest in the economics of science and innovation, which led us to start the Master's program in this field," said Professor Barberà.
The Rei Jaume I award, established in 1989, is funded by the Government of Valencia and the Valencian Foundation for Advanced Studies (FVEA). It is given annually to six researchers for their contributions in the areas of General Research, Medical Research, Environmental Protection, New Technologies, Urban Studies, and Economics. Recipients are chosen by a distinguished committee of academics and researchers, which included 18 Nobel Prize laureates this year.
The other recipients of the 2008 edition of the award are José Bernabeu Alberola (General Research), José Baselga (Medical Research), Miquel Canals (Environmental Protection), José María Benlloch (New Technologies) and architect Manuel Solà-Morales (Urban Studies).
A member of the Spanish Royal Family will officially present the award to recipients during a ceremony in autumn. In addition to the honor of the award, recipients receive a prize of €100.,000 from the Valencian Government and FVEA and a commemorative gold medal.
Professor Barberà’s contributions to economic theory have been immense, centering on public economics, incentives, utility, and game theory. He is regarded as an expert in social choice theory, the design of strategy-proof mechanisms, and the analysis of voting procedures, and the economics of innovation. His publications frequently appear in top economics journals, and he has co-edited a two-volume Handbook of Utility Theory.
Professor Salvador Barberà
About Prof. Barberà
Professor Barberà received his PhD in Economics from Northwestern University in 1975. He has been professor at the UAB since 1986, and in 2006 designed and founded the BSE Msc in the Economics of Science and Innovation, of which he is currently Program Director. He has also continued in his role as Director of the BSE Research Network as it was renamed from CREA/XREA earlier this year.
He served as General Secretary of Research and Technological Policies in the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (2004-2006). Prior to that, between 2000 and 2004, he was the first director of the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), a foundation created by the Catalan Government in order to consolidate in Catalonia a group of high-level scientists of all origins.
He is a fellow of the Econometric Society and a recipient of the Rey Juan Carlos Award in Economics. In 2007 Professor Barberà was awarded a doctor honoris causa from the Universidad Pablo Olavide as well as the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation Prize.