INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL ECONOMY AND GOVERNANCE

Their core work

IPEG is a Barcelona-based research center specializing in political economy, with a focus on how education systems, credit markets, and institutional structures shape economic development. Their work examines school choice mechanisms, electoral systems, and the structural factors that drive or hinder economic growth in different regions. Funded through prestigious ERC grants (both Starting and Advanced), they produce academic research at the intersection of economics, political science, and public policy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IPEG's earlier work (2015) centered on education policy and school choice through the CompSCHoice project. By 2017, their focus expanded into macroeconomic questions — structural transformation, credit market frictions, and the mechanics of economic development through the EDST project. This shift suggests a broadening from sector-specific policy analysis (education) toward understanding economy-wide structural barriers to growth.

IPEG is moving from micro-level policy analysis toward macro-structural economic questions, making them increasingly relevant for projects addressing regional economic disparities and development policy in the EU.

How they like to work

IPEG predominantly leads its own projects — coordinating 2 out of 3 H2020 grants, both prestigious ERC awards. Their network is very small (2 unique partners, 1 country), which is typical of ERC-funded research groups where grants follow individual principal investigators rather than large consortia. Working with them means engaging a focused academic team driven by senior researchers, not a large institutional partner.

IPEG has a minimal collaboration network with only 2 unique consortium partners in a single country. This reflects the nature of ERC grants, which fund individual excellence rather than broad partnerships.

What sets them apart

IPEG sits at a distinctive intersection of political science and economics, combining education policy expertise with macroeconomic development research — a combination uncommon among Spanish research centers. Their ability to secure both ERC Starting and Advanced grants signals strong individual research talent. For consortium builders, they bring rigorous analytical capacity on how institutional and market structures affect economic outcomes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CompSCHoice
  Largest grant (EUR 872,923) and IPEG's first ERC coordination, tackling the politically sensitive topic of school choice and education systems.
• EDST
  ERC Advanced Grant running until 2024, representing IPEG's shift toward macroeconomic structural analysis with explicit focus on credit market frictions and factor misallocation.