CIDOB Foundation
Encyclopedia
CIDOB, acronym of Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (Centre d'Estudis i Documentació Internacionals a Barcelona in Catalan language; Centro de Estudios y Documentación Internacionales de Barcelona in Spanish), is a Catalan
think-tank based in Barcelona
, Spain
, dedicated to research, document and divulge contents of the different areas of international relations and development studies. The centre defines itself as an organisation that is «an independent, non partisan centre that contributes to ongoing international debates from the perspective of a major Mediterranean metropolis» . Legally speaking, CIDOB is a private foundation with a Board of Trustees that includes among its members the main political institutions and universities of Catalonia and Barcelona, in addition to a number of ministries of the Spanish Government. CIDOB is currently the oldest think-tank in Spain, and one of the most influential in its field.
In the years that followed, CIDOB grew up to become a research and document center focused on international issues and global problems such as human development, and pursuing to become a major framework able to connect Catalan reality with that of the rest of the world. With this aim in mind, CIDOB has taken full advantage of Barcelona's prominence as a Euro-Mediterranean capital that also has special links with Latin America. Since the 1990s, the centre has strengthened its networking connections with European initiatives on issues concerning cooperation, international relations and security, as well as its academic activities, oriented toward the generation of ideas and specific political action .
Josep Ribera continued to head CIDOB until December 2008, when he chose to step down after 35 years at the helm. His successor as director was, by decision of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, Jordi Vaquer i Fanés, an International Relations doctor and researcher at CIDOB to that moment . Narcís Serra i Serra, former mayor of Barcelona, former minister in the Spanish Government
and one-time leader of the Catalan Socialists
, has chaired the Foundation since 2000. In March 2010, Javier Solana Madariaga, to the previous year the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, was appointed Honorary Chairman of CIDOB, a newly created post outside the organisational structure .
and Plaza de Cataluña. They are Casa de la Misericòrdia (Elisabets, 12) and Casa dels Infants Orfes (Elisabets, 24).
The Casa de la Misericòrdia has, since 1988, housed the centre's main installations, including the official head office, the archives and library, as well as Sala Maragall, the hall used for events. Originally, the building (which includes the old church) formed part of the School of St William of Aquitaine, founded by the Augustine Order in 1587, and later on it was used as a municipal primary school. During the Napoleonic invasion
it served as clandestine headquarters of the citizen's movement against the French occupation. In more recent times, in 1910, it became the home of the Institute of Culture and People's Library for Women; later still, in 1940, the building became the head office of the Institute for Theatre, as well as being home to the Adrià Gual Chair.
The Casa dels Infants Orfes also dates back to the 16th century
. It was built as the head office of the institution founded by Guillem dez Pou in 1370 to provide a home for orphans in the Diocese of Barcelona. It has an adjacent chapel, commissioned by Claudi Cosal in 1680 and redesigned in 1785. Among the building’s later uses, it was a school run by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (1848) and a convent for the Carmelites of Charity
(1875). The chapel lost all its religious furnishings and fittings during the Spanish Civil War
.
As for geographical specialisation, CIDOB follows in particular political issues from Europe (including the post-Soviet realm), the Mediterranean and Middle East, Latin America and Asia (Central Asia
in special). Four regional powers, one in each continent, receive priority: Brazil
, China
, Russia
and Turkey
. The international political situation, the world human development indicators and the Spanish international cooperation and foreign relations are also monitored on an ongoing basis.
At structural level, eight «issues-regions» are defined at the moment: Asia; Development; Europe; Intercultural Dynamics; Latin America; Mediterranean and Middle East; Migrations; and Security. Each issue-region is directed by a researcher or senior research fellow who works with other analysts, assistants, associate or visiting specialists and external contributors. Some programmes also have a projects manager. Research teams work with interdisciplinary scholar networks and generate their own academic activities, publications and documentary collections.
CIDOB’s research work is conceived to be disseminated as widely as possible, and thus it's aimed not only at specialists and scholars, but also at public organisations, mass media, NGOs, businesses, university students and public in general. Direct dissemination requires seminars, conferences, debates and workshops. Also, CIDOB regularly announces calls for papers, issues policy papers and introduces new publications. In its own words, CIDOB's vision consists of «promoting good global governance based on democratic practices at the local, national and supranational level in order to ensure people’s basic needs for freedom and a life without fear». Meanwhile, the centre's mission is to «offer information and ideas that help to shape policies that promote a safer, freer and more just world for all» .
Every year, CIDOB and the City Council of Barcelona jointly hold the international seminar War and Peace in the 21st Century, a series of debates attended by leading personalities from public function, governments and international academia. Other important annual events include the International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean, organised jointly with the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE, which reports to the Spanish Ministry of Defence), and the Seminar on the Ibero-American Development Agenda (ADI), run with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB). These three seminars have been held since 2002, 2002 and 2005 respectively at the Palace of Pedralbes
in Barcelona.
Currently, CIDOB's teaching activities take place within the academic programmes of the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (Barcelona Institute for Studies International, IBEI), a private foundation created by CIDOB in March 2004, whose members included the five Catalan universities (UB, UAB, UPC, UPF and UOC) sat in the Board of Trustees of CIDOB. This inter-university institute offers two postgraduate courses: Master in International Relations and the Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP); the latter is provided in association with the Central European University
(CEU) of Budapest
, the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Rotterdam and the University of York
. The IBEI also holds two summer courses: Barcelona Summer School in International Politics and the Summer School of the Mediterranean.
Furthermore, CIDOB was a member of the network of organising centres for the Master en Affaires Euro-Méditerranéennes/Master in Euro-Mediterranean Affairs (MAEM-MEMA).
At present, CIDOB's documentation, library and information area is organised for users into four sections:
The Documentation Centre analyses the periodical publications that it receives in accordance with a list of its own descriptors, as well as managing specific databases of periodical publications and acronyms. The Documentation Centre also helps to create documentary appendices for some of CIDOB's own publications.
(EADI); European Information Network on International Relations and Area Studies (EINIRAS); Europe's Forum on International Cooperation (EUFORIC); Euro-Mediterranean Study Commission (EUROMESCO); International Peace Research Association
(IPRA); International Studies Association
(ISA); Latin American Studies Association
(LASA); One World Online; and the European Network of Information and Documentation on Latin America
(REDIAL).
CIDOB also has collaboration agreements with the following institutions and centres: Agència Catalana de Cooperació; Banco Santander Central Hispano; British Council
; Barcelona Chamber of Commerce; Casa Amèrica Catalunya; Casa Árabe; Casa Asia; Diputación de Barcelona; Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC); Diplomatic School of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE); Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE); European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed); University Institute of European Studies of the Autonomous University of Barcelona; Spanish Ministry of Culture; Spanish Ministry of Defence; Real Instituto Elcano; Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Some of CIDOB’s agreements and affiliations have generated specific products and services aimed at the general public:
Likewise, CIDOB (together with seven other international research centres from countries in Europe) participates in the academic consortium EU4SEAS Project, a research network on cooperation based around the Black, Baltic, Caspian and Mediterranean seas, and which is funded by the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the European Union
. CIDOB also contributes to the Migrant Integration Policy Index III (MIPEX III) and, as mentioned above, organises the Ibero-American Development Agenda (ADI), together with ECLAC.
The 2010 edition of Global Go-to Think-Tanks - the prestigious list of think-tanks around the world devised by the University of Pennsylvania
- assessed 4,567 centres from around the world and placed CIDOB 37th out of the 50 best non-US think-tanks, in the category Top 50 Think-Tanks – Worldwide (Non-US). In this list, the Barcelona centre was the only one from Spain, and only the third from southern Europe, after two French centres .
In 1999, CIDOB Foundation received the Lluís Carulla Honour Award, a prize it shared with Professor Ramon Sugranyes i de Franch.
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
think-tank based in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, dedicated to research, document and divulge contents of the different areas of international relations and development studies. The centre defines itself as an organisation that is «an independent, non partisan centre that contributes to ongoing international debates from the perspective of a major Mediterranean metropolis» . Legally speaking, CIDOB is a private foundation with a Board of Trustees that includes among its members the main political institutions and universities of Catalonia and Barcelona, in addition to a number of ministries of the Spanish Government. CIDOB is currently the oldest think-tank in Spain, and one of the most influential in its field.
The acronym CIDOB and the centre’s name
The centre's original name was, from 1973 onwards, Centre d'Informació i Documentació Internacionals a Barcelona (translated into English, Barcelona Centre for International Information and Documentation), thus giving rise to the acronym CIDOB. Later on, the centre was referred with other names, including Centro de Relaciones Internacionales y Cooperación Internacional (Centre of International Relations and International Cooperation) and Centro de Investigación de Relaciones Internacionales y Desarrollo (Research Centre on International Relations and Development); these titles still appear in quotes and references from other media, thereby creating certain confusion. These names, as well as the present one –Centro de Estudios y Documentación Internacionales de Barcelona – no longer correspond to the historical acronym, though it has always been used exclusively to refer to the organisation.History
CIDOB emerged in 1973 as a non-profit-making association of socio-cultural nature based on the personal experience of its founder, Josep Ribera i Pinyol, one of the promoters of the Catalan inter-diocesan movement Agermanament (Brothering), which was active in cooperation projects with countries in Africa and South America. This original CIDOB was known as CIDOB Tercer Mundo (CIDOB Third World) or CIDOB-TM. In 1979, as a result of the political transformations succeeded in Catalonia and Spain, and upon a desire to «energise the democratic fabric with respect to international cooperation», CIDOB was legally constituted as a private foundation with a Board of Trustees, whose members, public and private, were representatives of the political and cultural life of Catalonia and Spain.In the years that followed, CIDOB grew up to become a research and document center focused on international issues and global problems such as human development, and pursuing to become a major framework able to connect Catalan reality with that of the rest of the world. With this aim in mind, CIDOB has taken full advantage of Barcelona's prominence as a Euro-Mediterranean capital that also has special links with Latin America. Since the 1990s, the centre has strengthened its networking connections with European initiatives on issues concerning cooperation, international relations and security, as well as its academic activities, oriented toward the generation of ideas and specific political action .
Josep Ribera continued to head CIDOB until December 2008, when he chose to step down after 35 years at the helm. His successor as director was, by decision of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, Jordi Vaquer i Fanés, an International Relations doctor and researcher at CIDOB to that moment . Narcís Serra i Serra, former mayor of Barcelona, former minister in the Spanish Government
Spanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
and one-time leader of the Catalan Socialists
Socialists' Party of Catalonia
The Socialists' Party of Catalonia is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain resulting from the merge of two parties PSC Reagrupament led by Josep Pallach i Carolà and PSC Comgres. It is the Catalan referent of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , and its Aranese section is...
, has chaired the Foundation since 2000. In March 2010, Javier Solana Madariaga, to the previous year the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, was appointed Honorary Chairman of CIDOB, a newly created post outside the organisational structure .
Staff
The Foundation is headed by its chairman, Narcís Serra. The centre itself consists of a management team made up of the director, Jordi Vaquer, a managing director and two assistant directors for the areas of Institutional Relations and Documentation, and Research and Projects. The working staff is made up of researchers and specific staff responsible for the sections of documentation and library, publications, Web services and administration. At present (2011), 42 people work at CIDOB.Board of Trustees
The Foundation's Board is made up of the following institutional trustees, whose financial contributions represent most of the centre's annual budget:- Generalitat of Catalonia
- Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Spanish Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (Spain)The Ministry of Defence is the Spanish government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the Spanish Armed Forces.- Functions :...
- Barcelona City Council
- Barcelona Provincial Council
- Association of Municipalities of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area
- Zona Franca Consortium of Barcelona
- University of BarcelonaUniversity of BarcelonaThe University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
- Autonomous University of BarcelonaAutonomous University of BarcelonaThe Autonomous University of Barcelona is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain....
- Polytechnic University of Catalonia
- Pompeu Fabra UniversityPompeu Fabra UniversityPompeu Fabra University is a university in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is widely considered to be one of the best universities in Spain and in Europe, and was ranked 1st in scientific productivity in Spain in 2009. Founded in 1990, it is named after the Catalan philologist Pompeu Fabra...
- Open University of Catalonia
Installations
CIDOB’s offices are divided between two historic buildings – nearby but not adjoining – on calle Elisabets in Barcelona's Raval district, very close to La RamblaLa Rambla
La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike. A 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall between Barri Gòtic and El Raval, it connects Plaça de Catalunya in the centre with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell.- Overview :La Rambla can be...
and Plaza de Cataluña. They are Casa de la Misericòrdia (Elisabets, 12) and Casa dels Infants Orfes (Elisabets, 24).
The Casa de la Misericòrdia has, since 1988, housed the centre's main installations, including the official head office, the archives and library, as well as Sala Maragall, the hall used for events. Originally, the building (which includes the old church) formed part of the School of St William of Aquitaine, founded by the Augustine Order in 1587, and later on it was used as a municipal primary school. During the Napoleonic invasion
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
it served as clandestine headquarters of the citizen's movement against the French occupation. In more recent times, in 1910, it became the home of the Institute of Culture and People's Library for Women; later still, in 1940, the building became the head office of the Institute for Theatre, as well as being home to the Adrià Gual Chair.
The Casa dels Infants Orfes also dates back to the 16th century
16th century
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century lasted from 1501 to 1600. It is regarded by historians as the century in which the rise of the West occurred....
. It was built as the head office of the institution founded by Guillem dez Pou in 1370 to provide a home for orphans in the Diocese of Barcelona. It has an adjacent chapel, commissioned by Claudi Cosal in 1680 and redesigned in 1785. Among the building’s later uses, it was a school run by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (1848) and a convent for the Carmelites of Charity
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
(1875). The chapel lost all its religious furnishings and fittings during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Fields of specialisation and events
Over the past decade, CIDOB has systematised its areas of research, by maintaining its traditional subjects/regions of interest and adding other, more specific ones. Currently, CIDOB operates three major programmes: People and Frontiers; A more secure life; and Democratic Governance. Under these generic premises, research works cover both thematic and geographical areas. In the first group major topics are: Development; Environment; Energy; Human Security; Intercultural Dynamics; Migrations; Conflicts; Local Government; State, Democracy and Foreign Policy; and Regionalism. CIDOB has a particular focus on «six fields of excellence» , namely: European Foreign Policy and Neighborhood Relations ; Security Sector Reform; Intercultural Dynamics; Migration Policy in Europe; International relations of cities and regions; and EU Enlargement.As for geographical specialisation, CIDOB follows in particular political issues from Europe (including the post-Soviet realm), the Mediterranean and Middle East, Latin America and Asia (Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
in special). Four regional powers, one in each continent, receive priority: Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The international political situation, the world human development indicators and the Spanish international cooperation and foreign relations are also monitored on an ongoing basis.
At structural level, eight «issues-regions» are defined at the moment: Asia; Development; Europe; Intercultural Dynamics; Latin America; Mediterranean and Middle East; Migrations; and Security. Each issue-region is directed by a researcher or senior research fellow who works with other analysts, assistants, associate or visiting specialists and external contributors. Some programmes also have a projects manager. Research teams work with interdisciplinary scholar networks and generate their own academic activities, publications and documentary collections.
CIDOB’s research work is conceived to be disseminated as widely as possible, and thus it's aimed not only at specialists and scholars, but also at public organisations, mass media, NGOs, businesses, university students and public in general. Direct dissemination requires seminars, conferences, debates and workshops. Also, CIDOB regularly announces calls for papers, issues policy papers and introduces new publications. In its own words, CIDOB's vision consists of «promoting good global governance based on democratic practices at the local, national and supranational level in order to ensure people’s basic needs for freedom and a life without fear». Meanwhile, the centre's mission is to «offer information and ideas that help to shape policies that promote a safer, freer and more just world for all» .
Every year, CIDOB and the City Council of Barcelona jointly hold the international seminar War and Peace in the 21st Century, a series of debates attended by leading personalities from public function, governments and international academia. Other important annual events include the International Seminar on Security and Defence in the Mediterranean, organised jointly with the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE, which reports to the Spanish Ministry of Defence), and the Seminar on the Ibero-American Development Agenda (ADI), run with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB). These three seminars have been held since 2002, 2002 and 2005 respectively at the Palace of Pedralbes
Palau reial de pedralbes
The Palau Reial de Pedralbes is a building placed in the middle of an ample garden in the district of Les Corts, in Barcelona. From 1919 until 1931 it was the residence for the Spanish Royal Family when they visited the city...
in Barcelona.
Publications
CIDOB edits and publishes a wide range of analytical and documentary stuff in different formats, in print edition and online.Periodicals
They are available on hard copy and/or in electronic format, published either exclusively by CIDOB or as joint publications:Yearbooks
- CIDOB International Yearbook. This is probably the centre's best-known publication. Published since 1990, it features four main sections: Spain's Foreign Relations; Europe; International Situation and (since the 1997 edition), Country Profile, which analyzes from different views a relevant country on the international stage. The countries highlighted to date have been: IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(1997); TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(1998); RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1999); ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(2000); MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(2001); MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
(2002); South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
(2003); BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(2004); South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(2005); PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(2006); AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
(2007); NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
(2008); United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(2009); RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(2010); and TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(2011). The International Yearbook consists of analytical articles by experts in the field and policy makers, and the so-called appendices, which are documentary in form (numerical tables, graphs, chronologies, balance sheets, maps, etc). The print edition is fully available and free of charge over the Internet. The International Yearbook, covering the year before, is usually published in July each year. The presentation is held at the Llotja de Mar, the head office of Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, and is attended by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, together with an academic or political figure from the country to which that particular year's Yearbook is dedicated.
- Asia-Pacific Yearbook. Focuses on this specific geographical area, and is jointly published with two other Spanish think-tanks, Casa Asia and Real Instituto Elcano. The first yearbook was published in 2005.
- Immigration in Spain Yearbook. Analyzes the main characteristics and trends of immigration and Spain’s immigration policies, through a collection of studies carried out from sociological, economic and legal perspectives. Published since 2007.
- Mediterranean Yearbook. Jointly published with the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed); the Yearbook appeared between 2004 and 2008.
Journals
- CIDOB Journal of Afers Internacionals. Academic journal about issues of international relations and cooperation, published since 1983 every four months. Articles provide different perspectives of the worked topics, combining analysis in-depth and information.
- dCIDOB. Monographic studies in Catalan language. Published from 1983 to 2009 (111 issues), appeared on a four-monthly basis.
Others
- Documentos CIDOB. Collection of thematic studies linked to the research projects. Published in print edition and electronic format.
- Notes Internacionals CIDOB. Single articles on issues of international current affairs. Published on the CIDOB website since 2009, exclusively in digital format.
- Opinion. Short, journalist-style articles on issues of international current affairs. Published since 2008, solely in digital format.
Books
- Interrogar la actualidad (Questioning the present). Collection of volumes of essays, only in print edition for commercial distribution.
- Monographs. Publications deriving the research work done by CIDOB. They may be jointly published, in hard copy format and online.
Teaching and IBEI
Since 1989, CIDOB provided training programmes for university postgraduate students, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona. The courses available were:- Diploma in Development Cooperation.
- Diploma in International Relations.
- Master in International Studies.
- Master in Development Studies.
Currently, CIDOB's teaching activities take place within the academic programmes of the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (Barcelona Institute for Studies International, IBEI), a private foundation created by CIDOB in March 2004, whose members included the five Catalan universities (UB, UAB, UPC, UPF and UOC) sat in the Board of Trustees of CIDOB. This inter-university institute offers two postgraduate courses: Master in International Relations and the Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP); the latter is provided in association with the Central European University
Central European University
For other uses, see European University Central European University is a graduate-level, English-language university offering degrees in the social sciences, humanities, law, public policy, business management, environmental science, and mathematics...
(CEU) of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Rotterdam and the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
. The IBEI also holds two summer courses: Barcelona Summer School in International Politics and the Summer School of the Mediterranean.
Furthermore, CIDOB was a member of the network of organising centres for the Master en Affaires Euro-Méditerranéennes/Master in Euro-Mediterranean Affairs (MAEM-MEMA).
Documentation, BIBA and information services
Since it was founded, one of CIDOB’s basic services has been the maintenance of an extensive documentary collection specializing mainly in international relations and development, which is open to the public. These documentary and bibliographical collections are collectively known as the Biblioteca Internacional de Barcelona (International Library of Barcelona, BIBA); the library was created to support the teaching and research activities done by CIDOB and IBEI, as well as to provide a service to the university and research community as a whole, to journalists and other professional people interested in the subject.At present, CIDOB's documentation, library and information area is organised for users into four sections:
Documentation Centre and Library
The Library contains a documentary collection specialized in international relations and development, particularly in the geographical and subject areas deemed to be priorities for CIDOB. The documents are the following: the approximately 400 international periodical publications to which CIDOB is a subscriber; another 600 titles that are no longer received; more than 12,000 volumes and monographs; and a further 11,000 documents in other formats. The Library also contains all the publications published by the Foundation. The online catalogue for the documentary collection enables users to browse lists of all the items acquired since 1985.The Documentation Centre analyses the periodical publications that it receives in accordance with a list of its own descriptors, as well as managing specific databases of periodical publications and acronyms. The Documentation Centre also helps to create documentary appendices for some of CIDOB's own publications.
Digital Library
Set up in 2011, this is an online database with a search engine that enables users to access all content produced by CIDOB: maps, chronologies, acronyms, biographies, news and activities, dossiers, articles and monographs on subjects under study.Dossiers CIDOB
A non-periodical online publication focusing on international political current affairs. The Dossiers are monographic studies of specific events of a national or international scope, created by the centre's researchers and information specialists. They contain analytical articles produced by CIDOB, links to external articles and news items, and to official reference documents, as well as to support material produced ex profeso. This information tool has been available exclusively through the Web since 2009.Biographies of Political Leaders
Biographical information service, online since 2001. Country leaders’ profiles are situated «in context», by presenting and explaining the historical, political, economic and social circumstances surrounding them. At present (2011), this Web service features more than 600 biographies of political leaders from around the world. As with the Dossiers, the texts are designed so that they can be updated at any time.Affiliations, agreements and collaboration projects
CIDOB maintains an extensive network of memberships and affiliations with academic organisations in Spain and abroad. These include: Spanish Council for Ibero-American Studies (CEEIB); European Association of Development Research and Training InstitutesEuropean Association of Development Research and Training Institutes
The European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes is the professional body for Development studies and regional studies in Europe...
(EADI); European Information Network on International Relations and Area Studies (EINIRAS); Europe's Forum on International Cooperation (EUFORIC); Euro-Mediterranean Study Commission (EUROMESCO); International Peace Research Association
International Peace Research Association
International Peace Research Association is a peace research organization founded in 1964. It is member of the International Social Science Council.-History:...
(IPRA); International Studies Association
International Studies Association
The International Studies Association was founded by a group of scholars and practitioners in 1959 to pursue mutual interests in international studies. Representing eighty countries, ISA has over three thousand members worldwide and is the most respected and widely known scholarly association in...
(ISA); Latin American Studies Association
Latin American Studies Association
The Latin American Studies Association is the largest association for scholars of Latin American studies. Founded in 1966, it has over 6,000 members, forty-five percent of whom reside outside the United States, LASA brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse...
(LASA); One World Online; and the European Network of Information and Documentation on Latin America
REDIAL
REDIAL , the European Network of Information and Documentation on Latin America is an association formed by 43 libraries and documentation centres in 12 European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, United Kingdom, Spain, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland...
(REDIAL).
CIDOB also has collaboration agreements with the following institutions and centres: Agència Catalana de Cooperació; Banco Santander Central Hispano; British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
; Barcelona Chamber of Commerce; Casa Amèrica Catalunya; Casa Árabe; Casa Asia; Diputación de Barcelona; Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean was established in 1948 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. In 1984, a resolution was passed to include the countries of the Caribbean in the name...
(ECLAC); Diplomatic School of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE); Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE); European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed); University Institute of European Studies of the Autonomous University of Barcelona; Spanish Ministry of Culture; Spanish Ministry of Defence; Real Instituto Elcano; Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Some of CIDOB’s agreements and affiliations have generated specific products and services aimed at the general public:
- Access to the BIBA for students at the IBEI.
- In association with IEMed, CIDOB published the above mentioned Mediterranean Yearbook between 2004 and 2008.
- Within the framework of the EINIRAS Database Network (EDN), CIDOB publishes a database of articles from online periodical publications.
- Together with Casa Asia and Real Instituto Elcano, the centre manages the Observatory on Central Asia (OAC), set up in 2007* Together with IEEE, CIDOB manages the web portal Security and Defence in the Mediterranean (SEDMED).
Likewise, CIDOB (together with seven other international research centres from countries in Europe) participates in the academic consortium EU4SEAS Project, a research network on cooperation based around the Black, Baltic, Caspian and Mediterranean seas, and which is funded by the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the European Union
Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development
The Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, also called Framework Programmes or abbreviated FP1 through FP8, are funding programmes created by the European Union in order to support and encourage research in the European Research Area...
. CIDOB also contributes to the Migrant Integration Policy Index III (MIPEX III) and, as mentioned above, organises the Ibero-American Development Agenda (ADI), together with ECLAC.
Social influence
In 2009, Iberglobal – the portal for the internationalisation of business and the economy – ranked CIDOB third in a list of the most influential think-tanks in Spain. The centre was given 158 votes out of 1,313 in a survey of just over 500 readers. Fifteen Spanish think-tanks were evaluated in the poll; among them, the Elcano Institute and the Foundation for International Relations and Exterior Dialogue( FRIDE) were ranked first and second .The 2010 edition of Global Go-to Think-Tanks - the prestigious list of think-tanks around the world devised by the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- assessed 4,567 centres from around the world and placed CIDOB 37th out of the 50 best non-US think-tanks, in the category Top 50 Think-Tanks – Worldwide (Non-US). In this list, the Barcelona centre was the only one from Spain, and only the third from southern Europe, after two French centres .
In 1999, CIDOB Foundation received the Lluís Carulla Honour Award, a prize it shared with Professor Ramon Sugranyes i de Franch.