Economic and business history studies economic, industrial, and organisational change over the long term using theoretical and empirical tools from other branches of economics and adjacent social sciences. Scholars at the Department of Economics and Business conduct research in a number of areas, including:

  • Business history, and especially the rise of Spanish big businesses
  • Economic history of European integration, and Spain's relationship with the European Community
  • Latin American economic history, growth, and modernisation studies
  • Output and productivity measurements since the Industrial Revolution
  • Asset price volatility and political uncertainty during the Great Depression
  • The German interwar economy
  • The development of European financial centres
  • Labor compensation and unemployment in historical perspective

Researchers have received funding from the Ministries of Education and Innovation, from the Generalitat de Catalunya, and from the European Commission. Findings have inter alia been published in the Journal of Economic History, Business and Economic History, the Journal of European Integration History, Explorations in Economic History, the Economic History Review, the European Economic Review, Business History Review, the Scandinavian Economic History Review, Revista de Historia Económica, Continuity and Change, Business History, Journal of Latin American Studies, and in monographs by Oxford University Press, Palgrave- Macmillan, Duncker & Humblodt, and Routledge.

Since its founding days, the UPF has had a strong group of business and economic historians both inside the Department of Economics and Business as well as in the Department of Humanities. Prior to coming to UPF, economic historians have held appointments at EUI (Italy), Stanford (US), MIT (US), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), and Cambridge (United Kingdom). In addition, many colleagues from other subfields have historical interests, and the Department also employs a number of visiting faculty in economic history each year.

The UPF offers 9-10 different courses per year in economic history as part of its undergraduate programmes in economics, business management and administration, business sciences-management, and international business economics. It is also presented in the graduate level Master's in Economics programme, offered by academic affiliate the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.

Enriqueta Camps

Camps, Enriqueta
Titular d'Universitat
PhD European University Institute

Albert Carreras

Carreras, Albert
Catedràtic d'Universitat
PhD Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Fernando Guirao

Guirao, Fernando
Catedràtic Jean Monnet
PhD European University Institute

Luigi Pascali

Pascali, Luigi
Investigador Ramón y Cajal
PhD Boston College