Welcome to the department's website

Economic History began to be taught at the University of Barcelona during the course of 1954-55, precisely at the time when the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration was created. The responsibility of getting this new subject under way fell into the hands of Professor Jaume Vicens Vives. This Professor was considered to be one of the most important innovators in the field of Spanish History after the Civil War, and a pioneer in the introduction of research and teaching of Economic History in Spain. When he died in 1960 his disciples continued the task he had begun in Catalonia, with the help and influence of the great French historian Pierre Vilar.

News All news

Institutional

08-01-2026

The Revista de Historia Industrial-Industrial History Review has renewed the FECYT Quality Seal 2025

Institutional

15-12-2025

New additions to the Department September-December 2025

Research

12-12-2025

José Peres in Ceteris Paribus episode 41

"De Potosí al Litio: Cinco Siglos de Minería en Bolivia"

Institutional

25-11-2025

New Issue of Revista de la Historia Industrial-Industrial History Review

Revista de Historia Industrial-Industrial History Review vol. 34 No. 95 (November 2025) Special Issue: New Perspectives in Global Economic History (I)

Grants and Financial Aid

14-11-2025

Caixa d’Enginyers Research Prize in Economic History

Called by the Economic History PhD Programme at the University of Barcelona and the Fundació Caixa d’Enginyers

Research

05-11-2025

José Peres a l'episodi 84 del podcast "Todo comenzó ayer"

Institutional

05-11-2025

Three members of the Department receive the Faculty's Teaching Distinction

Anna Carreras Marín, José A. Peres Cajías i Federico Tadei són els guardonats

Institutional

31-10-2025

RHI-IHR featured in a video recorded at the Annual Congress of the European Business History Association (Brussels, 2025)

Institutional

17-10-2025

The Research Centre on Institutions, Politics and Economics (IPERC) has been inaugurated

Stokes, Morelli and Boix discuss the current state of democracies and propose future paths at the opening of the new Research Centre on Institutions, Politics and Economics.

Rankings

13-10-2025

Three members of the Department among the 2% of the most influential scientists in the world

Federico Demaria, Daniel W. O'Neil and Ana Moragues in the Stanford ranking

Research

13-10-2025

New book by Federico Demaria, Daniele Vico and Lucía Fernández Gabard

Contested Waste. Environmental conflicts and waste picker resistance in the Global South

Research

13-10-2025

New book by José Alejandro Peres Cajías and Nigel Caspa

Capital y trabajo. Una historia económica de la minería boliviana, 1900-2025

Occupancy

08-10-2025

Lecturer position Serra Hunter in the area of History and Economic Institutions of the Department of Economic History, Institutions, Politics and World Economy (UB-LE-252-004)

Institucional

15-09-2025

Appointment of Paloma Fernández Pérez

Research

12-09-2025

New articles by members of the Department

Four articles published with the participation of members of the Department:

Institutional

12-09-2025

New additions to the Department

Have joined the Department: Jordi Caum Julio, Alessandra Manganelli, Cedric Pierre Sylvain Crosfils, Srishti Goyal and Alex Urrego Mesa

Institutional

18-07-2025

New Issue of Revista de la Historia industial- Industrial histoy review 94

Revista de Historia Industrial-Industrial History Review Vol. 34 No. 94 (July 2025)

Institutional

04-07-2025

La petjada alimentària de Barcelona Xarxes de proveïment i transformacions agràries (segles XI-XXI)

Jordi Planas and Enric Tello edit the book La petjada alimentària de Barcelona. Xarxes de proveïment i transformacions agràries (segles XI-XXI) (Lleida: Pagès Editors)

Institutional

03-07-2025

The Formation of Agricultural Governance

Jordi Planas edits the book The Formation of Agricultural Governance. The interplay between State and Civil Society in European Agriculture, 1870-1940 (Turnhout, Brepols)

Institutional

01-07-2025

Immigration and the Welfare State in Europe

Francesc Amat publishes the book Immigration and the Welfare State in Europe (Fundació Catalunya Europa)

Activities Full agenda

February

Conferència Inaugural del Doctorat en Història Econòmica (2025-26)

Sala de Graus de la Facultat

January

Economic History Seminar |"Victorian Slum Demolitions"

Classroom 1033

January

IPERG Seminar | The seniority limit: Why some immigrants find it difficult to advance in political positions

Reception Room

January

Master´s Seminar de Estudios Latinoamericanos (MEL)

Boardroom (Faculty of Geography and History)

Department

Later in 1981, research and teaching in Economic History at the University of Barcelona were given a new breath when Jordi Nadal, who was one of Vicens Vives closest collaborators, was appointed again as full professor of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. The following year, the Department of Economic History and Institutions was formed, and Jordi Nadal was chosen as its Head until he retired in 1999. This new Department also included Ernest Lluch, considered to be one of the leading Spanish specialists in the field of History of Economic Thought at the time.

Further information

Títol

Teaching

Throughout its long life the Department of Economic History and Institutions has been regarded to be one of the most active and innovative centres in Economic History in Catalonia and Spain. It is well known not only for the research developed in the fields of history of industry and finance, business history, agrarian and environmental history, and studies on globalization and long-term inequality, but on its graduate and postgraduate courses as well. Currently, it teaches various courses offered in the degrees of Economics, Business Administration and Management, Sociology, Political Science, Public Policies and Labour Relations.

Further information

Research

We are one of the most active and innovative centres for economic history in Catalonia and Spain, thanks to our work in the fields of industrial and financial history, business history, agricultural and environmental history, and the study of globalisation and inequality. We have our own research centre: the Jordi Nadal Study Centre (named as such since 2022) and created in 2007 under the name Antoni de Capmany Study Centre. Since 1992, we have published one of the most prestigious journals in this field of knowledge, the Industrial History Review.

Further information

Doctoral programme in Economic History

The interuniversity doctoral programme in Economic History at the University of Barcelona, University Carlos III of Madrid and the University of Valencia aims to train researchers specializing in the branches of economic history, so they become able to analyse, understand and solve problems related to long-term economic development based on historical analysis, and to create knowledge in both the field of economic history and economic development. The Interuniversity PhD Program in Economic History has been accredited with excellence by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency, AQU Catalunya, in the year 2023.
For information about the calendar and the admission application process for the 2026–2027 academic year, please click here.

Further information

Publications

In this section you will find the websites of Revista de Historia Industrial, Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business and the collection Monografías de Historia Industrial.

Further information