Annual
Report
23
'
Letter from the President
and the Director
Jacint Jordana Casajuana & Laura Chaqués Bonafont
The year 2023 has been a pivotal one for IBEI, marked by significant transformations and milestones. Our esteemed founding president, Narcís Serra, stepped down after more than twenty years of dedicated service. In recognition of his invaluable contributions, the IBEI Board appointed him as Honorary President. Following the proposal of the outgoing president, the Board elected Jacint Jordana, the then-director of IBEI, who was nearing the end of his term, to assume the presidency for a six-year period.
In parallel, an international search for a new director commenced in July, overseen by an independent selection committee tasked with recommending candidates to the Board. After a rigorous and competitive selection process, the Board approved the appointment of Laura Chaqués, professor at the University of Barcelona, as the new director. She assumed her role at the beginning of 2024, heralding a new era of leadership and innovation for IBEI.
In addition to these leadership changes, 2023 has seen several other noteworthy developments at IBEI. Firstly, the necessary amendments to IBEI's statutes were approved to complete our integration into CERCA, the network of research centers promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya. This integration is a significant milestone for IBEI, aligning us with a successful initiative that includes many of Catalonia's top research centres and guarantees adherence to internationally recognized scientific excellence.
Secondly, IBEI achieved institutional accreditation from the Council of Universities, following a successful evaluation by AQU, the Catalan university quality agency. This accreditation is a major accomplishment, affirming the high quality of our educational programmes and the robustness of our continuous improvement processes.
Jacint Jordana
Casajuana
President
Laura Chaqués
Bonafont
Director
Thirdly, we launched a new Master's Programme in Public Policy (MPP), expanding our educational offerings in international studies as outlined in the IBEI Strategic Plan 2021-2025. The program's inaugural course was highly successful, attracting a large and diverse cohort of students.
Furthermore, 2023 witnessed sustained growth in our research activities, with the initiation of several significant new projects and an increase in the number of high- impact publications. We also launched new initiatives aimed at engaging our alumni, which are detailed in this report. Strengthening the IBEI community, both locally and globally, remains one of our top priorities, fostering a shared identity and common values among our members around the world.
In summary, 2023 has been a year of renewal and achievement for IBEI. We have navigated significant leadership changes, achieved important institutional milestones, and continued to expand and enhance our research and educational offerings. These accomplishments position IBEI for continued success and growth in the years to come, reinforcing our commitment to excellence and innovation in the field of international studies.
IBEI aims to contribute to a more effective and democratic governance of international affairs through the training of new generations of professionals in international relations and political science.
Students Profile
2023-2024
(intake)
The Master’s degrees are accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Education
Programmes
Students 2023
EXCHANGE
STUDENTS
NEW
INTAKE
STUDENTS
PREVIOUS
YEARS
STUDENTS
24
191
117
32
24
63
76
23
20
Research Master’s in International Studies
1
10
NEW
14
14
31
14
Graduate
Programmes
Events
1
Launch Event of the Master’s in Public Policy
Starting from the academic year 2023-2024, IBEI launched a new Master’s degree in Public Policy. This inter-university programme, jointly awarded by Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Universitat de Barcelona, aims to provide graduate students with specialized training for successful careers in public administration, think tanks, and social and political organizations. To commemorate the launch, IBEI organized an event on June 14, 2023, to discuss and exchange ideas on teaching and training in Public Policy.
Diane Stone, Professor of Global Policy at the European University Institute, delivered the keynote speech on the roles and relevance of Public Policy Schools and Programmes in the Global Order. Following this, a roundtable discussion explored the contemporary requirements for a Master’s in Public Policy, featuring distinguished speakers from academia and policy institutes. The event proved to be an enriching platform for engagement and collaboration, inviting participation and contributions from all interested stakeholders.
Combining a graduate school and research institute, IBEI unites research, education, and policy engagement.
Summer
Schools
1
IBEI Summer School in Global Politics and Policy
19-30 June 2023
7
COURSES
49
PARTICIPANTS
62
REGISTRATIONS
Face-
to-Face
FORMAT
With the support of:
2
Barcelona Summer School of the Mediterranean and the Midle East
3-7 July 2023
7
COURSES
58
PARTICIPANTS
91
REGISTRATIONS
Face-
to-Face
FORMAT
With the support of:
Jointly
Organized with:
Online
Programmes
1
Specialization Course. International Relations, Geopolitics and Global
October-March 2023
17
PARTICIPANTS
Offered with:
2
Specialization Course. New Challenges of Global Governance
March - July 2023
15
PARTICIPANTS
Offered with:
Executive Programmes
1
Políticas urbanas y metropolitanas alineadas con la Agenda 2030
Retos de las políticas, la gobernanza y la financiación de las ciudades y áreas metropolitanas
26-27 September 2023
Jointly organized with:
2
Acció en organismes internacionals
i europeus
18 October - 30 November 2023
Jointly organized with:
In collaboration with:
A community of just over 300 students, in which there is a real possibility to forge lasting friendships and professional contacts.
Alumni
Professional
Stories
Nadia Ghulam Dastgir
Master's in International Development 2017-2018
Founder and president of Ponts per la Pau, author, and social educator in Spain, Badalona
"I envisioned applying the knowledge and skills acquired during my studies to make a positive impact in the field of social education and peace activism. My experiences and contributions thus far have confirmed that my post-graduate path is consistent with my initial aspirations, and I’m eager to continue along this fulfilling journey."
Alumni
Events
Alumni
Global Meeting 2023
16-17 June 2023
The Alumni Global Meeting 2023, which took place from June 16th to 17th, aimed to bring together former and current students of IBEI, as well as academics and professionals experts in different fields. The two-day event was an opportunity for participants to reconnect, learn, and debate on the hottest issues in international relations, delve into participants’ professional trajectories, and draw inspiration.
Sessions included workshops on topics such as international security and nuclear proliferation, climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, sustainable energy, environmental justice, gender equity, and social inclusion. The meeting concluded with a public lecture delivered by Professor Ramin Jahanbegloo on the future of Iran.
The idea of the AGM is to be held every two years in a hybrid format, mostly in-person sessions and combined with virtual components such as live streaming.
Our faculty are a dynamic and interdisciplinary mix of junior, midcareer, and senior researchers.
We are international.
New Research Fellows
Matt
Barlow
Research
Fellow
Marika
Csapo
Postdoctoral
Research Fellow
Antoni
Estevadeordal
Senior Research
Fellow
Jean
Grugel
Research
Professor
Javier
Martínez Cantó
Research
Fellow
Antonio
Postigo
Senior Research
Fellow
Gabriel
Cohen
Predoctoral Fellow Joan Oró (FI)
David
Garcia
Predoctoral
Fellow FPI
Research
Highlights
_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited_edi.jpg)
1.1
New Erasmus + Jean Monnet Networks, funded by the European Union
EU-VALUES
EU Research and Education Network on Foreign Policy Issues:
Values and Democracy
This Network is dedicated to advancing discourse and fostering an understanding of values and democracy within EU foreign policy. This collaborative effort unites 21 premier higher education institutions from across Europe and the globe. Over the next three years, EU-VALUES will facilitate in- depth discussions through its website, blogs, webinars, podcasts and videos. This Research Project is coordinated by IBEI’s President Jacint Jordana, and counts with IBEI’s Research Fellow Adam Holesch as the project manager.
A unique voice in international studies in Barcelona and a successful example of continued inter-university cooperation in Europe.
Social
Media
2022-2023
Social Media & Web
Twitter / X Followers
.png){kind=small}
6.608
Facebook Followers
5.717
LinkedIn Followers
7.928
Youtube Reproductions
8.382
New videos in Youtube
23
People who visited
the web in 2023
186.992
Web Visits
316.191
Average of page
per visit
3
Institutional
Development
On November 29, 2023, the Board of Trustees of IBEI appointed Laura Chaqués Bonafont as the new director, with effect from January 2024. Jacint Jordana, who had led IBEI since its foundation in 2004, assumed the role of president while Narcís Serra, until then president, became honorary president.
The public and international selection process for the new director began in Summer and was overseen by a selection committee of six experts appointed by the IBEI Board of Trustees. Laura Chaqués Bonafont, who has been a Senior Research Associate at IBEI since 2010, is also a Professor of Political Science at the Universitat of Barcelona. She leads the “Quality of Democracy” (Q-DEM) research group, focusing on analysing the interplay between governmental, parliamentary, and media agendas across different issues, countries, and government levels in Spain from a comparative perspective. Currently, her primary research interest lies in the comparative analysis of agenda dynamics, with a specific focus on the roles of interest groups, political elites, and social media. This transition marks a new chapter for IBEI, with strengthened leadership and a commitment to academic excellence and innovative training, as well as advanced research in the fields of international relations, political science and development studies.
1