About us

The Esade Centre for Economic Policy (EsadeEcPol) is an independent and interdisciplinary think tank focused on creating consensus for the introduction of evidence-based public policies.

About us
Policy Impact Lab

About us

Understanding politics to drive economic reforms

We aim to build bridges between outstanding research and political consensus. We intend showing ‘what must be done’ and ‘how’ politically viable reforms can be introduced.

Lead the future economic agenda

We want to be on the frontier of public policies with innovative and specific reform proposals that will enable Spain to successfully adapt to the great global changes.

Support for evidence-based policies

We aim to support a profound change in the culture of designing, implementing, and evaluating public policies. This means moving towards evidence-based policies that enable a better use of resources.

Driving change through impactful research

EsadeEcPol conducts impactful, relevant and accessible research connected to Spain’s political agenda.

Team

Jorge Galindo

Director

PhD in Sociology (University of Geneva) and Master’s in Public Policy (Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Central European University).

Lucas Gortazar

Deputy Director – Research

PhD in Economics, University of the Basque Country; MSc Economics (CEMFI), MSc Mathematical Modeling (UCL); World Bank consultant.

Lucía Cobreros

Economist & Research Manager

Economist focused on public policy evaluation: education, health, gender. Degree in Economics from the University of Cantabria, Master in Industrial Economics and Markets (UC3M).

Isabella Becerra

Research analyst

Economist and data analyst, focused on supporting the execution of evaluation and research projects. Graduated in Economics from the University of Los Andes and holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from the Barcelona School of Economics.

Jimena Contreras

Research analyst

Economist focused on public policy, with a master’s degree from the Barcelona School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rafael Landívar University.

Carles Gómez Llabrés

Research analyst

Economist and data analyst specializing in data mining, quantitative analysis, automation, and the construction of indicators from complex information sources. Holds a degree in Economics and a Master’s in Industrial Economics (UC3M).

Collaborators & fellows

Miguel Almunia

Senior Fellow, Public Finances & Taxes

PhD in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at CUNEF University. Associated researcher with CEPR, Oxford CBT, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the International Growth Centre (LSE-Oxford), and CAGE (Warwick), and a guest researcher at J-PAL Europe.

Gonzalo Arana Bereincua

Senior Policy Fellow, Public Policies & Sustainable Growth

Leads the Public Sector practice at Oliver Wyman for Spain and Portugal and is a visiting researcher at the Growth Lab at Harvard Kennedy School. Holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Economics and Finance from the University of Navarra, an MBA from INSEAD, and an MC/MPA from Harvard.

Caterina Calsamiglia

Senior Fellow, Learning Pathways

ICREA researcher at IPEG, PhD in Economics from Yale. Specialized in the analysis and design of evaluation and selection processes inherent to the educational system.

Álvaro Ferrer

Senior Policy Fellow, Educational Inequalities

Social Innovation Manager at Save the Children, formerly Specialist in Educational Equity. Degree in Political Science and Administration. Former President of CANAE and member of the State School Council.

Matthew Kraft

Senior Fellow, Teacher Policies

Associate Professor of Economics and Education at Brown University and Research Associate at the NBER. PhD in Education Policy from Harvard University.

Manuel Hidalgo

Director of the Funds Observatory and Senior fellow, Digitalisation & The Future of Work

PhD in Economics (Pompeu Fabra University). Professor of Economics at Pablo de Olavid University and author of the book El Empleo del Futuro (Deusto).

Pedro Linares

Senior Fellow, Green Transition

Professor in the Department of Industrial Organization at the ICAI School of Engineering, director of the BP Chair of Energy and Sustainability, and co-founder and director of Economics for Energy. He is also a researcher at the Institute for Research in Technology (IIT) and a Research Associate at MIT CEEPR and EPRG (University of Cambridge).

Sandra León

Senior Fellow, Politics, Data & Polarisation

PhD in Political Science (Instituto Juan March, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). Researcher at the Institute of Public Goods and Policies (IPP) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

Clara Martínez-Toledano

Senior Fellow, Inequality and Fiscal Policy

Professor of Financial Economics at Imperial College London and Wealth Distribution Coordinator at WID.world. PhD from the Paris School of Economics.

Ramón Mateo Escobar

Senior policy fellow, Social Policy

Degree in Economics (University Carlos III of Madrid) and Master’s Degree in Economics (Oviedo University).

José Montalbán Castilla

Senior Fellow, Opportunities and Social Mobility

He is Assistant Professor at the Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University. He holds a PhD in Economics from the Paris School of Economics.

Juan Manuel Moreno

Senior Fellow, Global Education

Professor of Curriculum & Teaching and School Administration at UNED. PhD Education (UNED) and Master of Education (Columbia University). Lead Education Specialist at the World Bank (2002-2021).

Miquel Oliu-Barton

Senior Fellow, Global Trends

PhD in Mathematics (Sorbonne University), Associate Professor (Université Paris-Dauphine). He was a Visiting Professor at Yale University.

Pedro Rey

Director, Policy Impact Lab

Professor of Behavioral Economics at Esade. PhD in Economics (University College London) and Master in Economics and Finance (CEMFI).

Jenifer Ruiz Valenzuela

Senior Fellow, Gender & Inequality

PhD in Economics (European University Institute, Florence). Professor of Economics at the University of Barcelona (UB). Research associate at the Barcelona Institute of Economics (UB) and at the Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics).

Judit Vall

Senior Fellow, Health Policy

Associate Professor (“Profesora Titular”) in the Department of Economics at the University of Barcelona, researcher at the Barcelona Institute of Economics and CRES-UPF. Since 2022, ICREA Academia.

Advisory board

Ana Revenga

PhD in Economics (Harvard University), adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Jordi Sevilla

Economist (Universitat de València). Chairman of Red Eléctrica de España. Former Spanish minister of Public Administration (2004-2007) and elected member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies (2000-2009).

Alberto Nadal

Economist (Universidad Pontificia Comillas), commercial specialist and state economist. Former secretary of state at the Spanish Ministry of Finance (2016-2018).

Sandra León

PhD in Political Science (Instituto Juan March & Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). Senior talent attraction researcher at the Universidad Carlos III.

Rafael Doménech

PhD in Economics (Universitat de València), MSc in Economics from LSE. Economic analysis manager at BBVA Research.

Antonio Cabrales

PhD in Economics (University of California). Professor of Economics at University College London. Researcher with CEPR and FEDEA.

Juan Francisco Jimeno

PhD in Economics (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and researcher at the Bank of Spain.

Víctor Lapuente

PhD in Political Science (University of Oxford). Professor at the Department of Political Science and researcher at the Quality of Government Institute (University of Gothenburg). Visiting Professor at Esade.

Jenifer Ruiz-Valenzuela

PhD in Economics (European University Institute, Florence) and Research Economist at the Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics).

David Vegara

Economist (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), MSc in Economics from the LSE. Former secretary of state at the Spanish Ministry of Finance (2004-2009). Chief risk officer at Banc Sabadell.

Maia Güell

PhD in Economics (LSE). Professor of Economics at University of Edinburgh. Researcher with CEPR, IZA Institute of Labor Economics, and the Centre for Economic Performance.

Pablo Vázquez

PhD in Economics (University of California). Chairman of Renfe (2014-2016), INECO (2012-2014). Executive director of FEDEA (2007-2012) and Spanish undersecretary for Health and Consumer Affairs (2002-2004).

Francisco de la Torre

Economist (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and tax inspector. Former chairman of the Spanish Congress of Deputies Budget Committee.

Luz Rodríguez

PhD in Law (Universidad de Valladolid). Former Spanish secretary of state for Employment (2010-2012). Professor of Labour Law and Social Security at Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.

Elisa de la Nuez

Degree in Law (Universidad Complutense de Madrid). Secretary-General and President of the Hay Derecho Foundation.

Paz Guzmán Caso de los Cobos

Degree in Business Administration and Management (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). Economic advisor to the European Commission Representation in Spain.

Juan Pablo Riesgo

Degree in Economics (UCM). Former Spanish secretary of state for Employment (2015-2018) and partner at People Advisory Services.

Kiko Llaneras

PhD in Automation and Industrial Computing (Universitat Politècnica de València). Data journalist at El País news group.

Florentino Felgueroso

PhD in Economics (Universidad de Oviedo). Lecturer in Economics at the Universidad de Oviedo and researcher with FEDEA.

International advisors

Andrés Velasco

Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE. PhD in Economics (Columbia University). Professor at Harvard and Columbia University. Former Finance minister in Chile (2006-2010) and presidential candidate in 2017.

Joaquín Almunia

Vice-president and European Competition Commissioner (2010-2014). European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs (2004-2010). Spanish minister for Employment (1982-1986), minister for Public Administrations (1986-1991). Visiting professor at LSE and Paris School of International Affairs.

Miriam González Durántez

European and international trade lawyer. She works at Cohen & Gresser advising clients on international trade and regulation. Vice president of UBS Europe. President of the UBS Spain Risk Audit Committee (2015 – 2016). President of the UBSL Audit Committee in London (2017 – 2019). Honorary President of Canning House.

Javier Solana

President of EsadeGeo. Minister of Culture (1982-1988), Government Spokesman (1985-1988), Education and Science (1988-1992), and Foreign Affairs (1992-1995). Secretary-general of NATO (1995-1999). EU high representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy (1999-2009). EUFOR chief commander (1999-2009).

Emma Navarro

Vice-president of the European Investment Bank and member of the EIB Management Committee. She has been General Secretary of the Treasury and Financial Policy in Spain, member of the Bank of Spain Governing Council and Board Member of the Spanish National Securities Market Commission.

Ángel Ubide

Managing director and economic analysis director for macro and global fixed income at hedge fund Citadel. Member of the Executive Commission of the Euro50 Group and the Economic Club of New York.

Antonio García Pascual

Visiting Scholar at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. He has over 20 years of experience in the private sector and in public policy, as managing director of macro research at a global investment bank, as senior economist (IMF), and as Assistant Professor of International Economics and CESifo research affiliate (Ludwig Maximilians University).

Policy Impact Lab

Pedro Rey Biel

Director, Policy Impact Lab

Associate professor of Behavioural Economics at Esade. PhD in Economics from University College London, Master Degree in Economics and Finance from CEMFI (Bank of Spain).

At EsadeEcPol we also help governments improve public policy. The Policy Impact Lab is committed to a profound change in the culture of designing, implementing, and evaluating public policies. The lab supports a transition towards evidence-based policies for a better use of public resources. The use of data and experimentally developed analysis techniques enable us to distinguish with much greater precision between policies that do not work – and those that work.

Neighbouring nations are making increasing use of methods that reveal the causal effects of public policies. In Spain, despite the availability of data and analytical talent, we have been late to explore these techniques. Many opportunities exist to better understand the effects of implemented policies.

The Policy Impact Lab encompasses a multidisciplinary group of first-rate academics who focus on evaluating public policies in areas such as education, health, labour, business start-ups, growth, and international trade.

The centre combines two types of evaluations:

Public policy evaluation.

Evaluation of already implemented policies with a quantitative approach based on data that enables an accurate quantification of the effects produced.