Barcelona GSE Research

    The Barcelona GSE Research Network

The Barcelona GSE is grounded on a strong research community with a long history of cooperation, first formalized in 2003 with the establishment by the Government of Catalonia, through its Ministry for Innovation, Universities and Enterprises, of the network Xarxa de Referència d’R+D+I en Economia Analítica (CREA), as one of the ‘reference networks’ created with the aim to support research groups with international impact.

That network has been coordinating research activities of the Department of Economics and Business of the UPF, the Unit of Economic Analysis of the UAB, and the Institute of Economic Analysis of the CSIC. The launching of the Barcelona GSE in 2006 is the culmination of these collaborative efforts. This is why, with the continuing support of the Catalan Government, at the end of 2007 CREA became the Barcelona GSE Research Network.

The GSE Research Network constitutes one of the leading research groups in Europe. Three studies in the Journal of the European Economic Association placed the Network near the top of its rankings. According to P. Kalaitzidakis, T.P. Mamuneas, and T. Stengos “Ranking of Academic Journals and Institutions in Economics” (May 2002), it should be ranked 2nd, when their top 30 journals are taken into account (period 1995-1999). In another study by M. Lubrano, L. Bauwens, A. Kirman and C. Protopopescu, “Ranking Economics Departments in Europe: A Statistical Approach” (May 2003), the Network should be ranked #3 when their top journal list is considered (period 1991-2000). And 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 second and third in Europe.

The Network includes scholars from other Catalan academic institutions. That is why, on a yearly basis, the GSE Research Committee appoints GSE external research fellows among those that are not already GSE Affiliated Professors. Factors considered for admission include candidates' contribution to research in economics and their participation in its activities.

The GSE research activities cover most areas of economics, including Macroeconomics and Growth, Microeconomics, Financial Economics, Public Economics, Decisions and Games, and Quantitative and Experimental Methods in Economics.