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Institute for Economic Analysis (IAE) celebrates its 25th anniversary
On April 4, 2011 the Institute for Economics Analysis (IAE), one of the four academic bodies of the BSE, held the opening event of its year-long 25th anniversary celebration at its premises on the Bellaterra campus (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).
Founded in 1986, the IAE is a research center of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). The Institute conducts both theoretical and applied research across the spectrum of economic fields including Econometrics, Experimental Economics, Game Theory, Industrial Organization and Regulation, Growth and Development, Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics, Political Economics and Public Economics. Its creation in the late 80s meant a turning point for making Barcelona one of the few areas where world-class economics are taught. Not only for its capacity of attracting top scholars, but also for its influence on the creation, later on, of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF).
Making a name for "Barcelona Economics"
The opening event of the anniversary celebration was an opportunity for researchers and institutional leaders to reflect on the achievements of the center during its first 25 years. The Vice-Director of the IAE, Prof. Enriqueta Aragonès, read a speech by Director Prof. Clara Ponsatí acknowledging the hard work of all the scholars who are and had been affiliated to it, as well as the vision of the founders of the Institute and its first Directors: Prof. Xavier Calsamiglia, Prof. Joan M. Esteban, and Prof. Xavier Vives.
Prof. Ramon Marimon, Chairman of the BSE, recognized the key role that the IAE played and is still playing to build the international community of economists that today constitute the Barcelona School of Economics. "What today is the BSE cannot be understood without the sustained commitment to excellence of the IAE and its predecessors at the UAB", Prof. Marimon said.
"The IAE has become an internationally recognized institution in the social sciences," added Prof. Rafael Rodríguez, President of CSIC. "It's a great example of the type of institution that the CSIC is committed to, and will continue to commit to in the future." The Rector of the UAB, Prof. Ana Ripoll, and the President of the Spanish Economic Association, Prof. Amparo Urbano, joined in the acknowledgements to the IAE's remarkable work.
"One of the main objectives of the IAE is to make a name for 'Barcelona Economics' in the world, and it has succeeded," Prof. Mas-Colell said.
A fitting way to celebrate
The Institute's 25th anniversary program is a reflection of the diversity of the research conducted by its members and confirms its place as an international meeting point for economists.
The workshops, meetings, and conferences on the program cover topics ranging from Gender Economics, to Development Theory, to Economic Dynamics. The list of event organizers includes 10 BSE affiliated professors (six of whom are IAE members) as well as researchers from California Technological Institute (CalTech), New York University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, the World Bank, and other top international institutions.
The participation of these academics from Barcelona and around the world in the IAE's anniversary celebration is a fitting tribute to an institution that has contributed so much to the development of the field in the region and to the knowledge base used by economists and social scientists across the globe.
Vice-Director of the IAE, Prof. Enriqueta Aragonès (at podium), speaks at the opening ceremony of the center's 25th anniversary celebration. Seated (from right): Prof. Amparo Urbano, President of the Spanish Economic Association; Prof. Rafael Rodríguez, President of CSIC; Prof. Andreu Mas-Colell, Minister of Economy and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia and founder of the BSE; Prof. Ana Ripoll, Rector of the UAB; and Prof. Ramon Marimon, Chairman of the BSE.
The creation of the IAE in the late 80s was a turning point for making Barcelona one of the few hubs of world-class economic research and teaching.
Opening ceremony for the IAE's 25th Anniversary celebration
