Núria Rodríguez Planas receives an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to develop her research at the UB School of Economics

Researcher Núria Rodríguez Planas from the City University of New York has been awarded a European Advanced Grant to study the factors of domestic violence in the European Union. She will carry out this project at the UB School of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business (University of Barcelona). The European Research Council (ERC) has granted 218 Advanced Grants, representing an investment of 544 million euros to promote cutting-edge research in various fields of knowledge. This grant is considered the most prestigious and competitive among those awarded by the Council, as it offers researchers the opportunity to carry out studies that can lead to significant scientific advancements.

WomEmpower will receive funding of 2.49 million euros to identify the factors that increase or reduce the risk of victimization and perpetration from a causal perspective, in order to design policies that eradicate gender-based violence in Europe. Rodríguez Planas, who is returning to the Faculty where she obtained her degree 30 years ago, affirms that the University of Barcelona has highly skilled researchers who will bring great added value to the project. She will work with some of them, such as Judit Vall, Daniel Montolio, Pilar Sorribas, and Elisabet Viladecans, as well as younger researchers like Anastasia Terskaya, Cristina Bellés, and Caroline Coly.

The researcher’s proposal draws on the three lines of research she has been working on for the past 30 years: the use of individual-level administrative and longitudinal data that allow understanding of individuals’ behavioural dynamics; the impact of gender norms on the behaviour of men and women; and the analysis of how legislative changes or labour reforms impact individuals’ educational and career decisions. These lines of research are now applied to the field of public health in order to better understand the factors that cause domestic violence, overlapping with the research of other UB School of Economics members, which will contribute and add value to the ongoing studies conducted by UB researchers.

“The development of WomEmpower at the UB School of Economics is an opportunity to bring my knowledge, human capital, and experience in these lines of research to the UB. For example, analysing gender-based violence using quantitative methods and population data is a novelty that will benefit the UB,” adds Rodríguez Planas. She confirms that the Institut d’Economia de Barcelona  (IEB) will establish a new research program led by herself, named “Gender, Culture and Institutions Programme,” aimed at visualizing and enhancing research in the thematic scope of the project.

The investment resulting from this grant will increase the human capital of the Faculty of Economics and Business: research personnel will be hired, workshops will be organized, visits by guest professors will be arranged, and attendance at international conferences will be facilitated. Furthermore, one of Rodríguez Planas’ objectives is to produce quantitative evidence to provide solutions to professionals and policymakers when designing policies that reduce gender-based violence. “Given the importance of the research topic, WomEmpower will also be an opportunity to raise awareness among the population about how economics can contribute to public health and human rights. Given the nature of the research topic, it is essential that we establish dialogue with different disciplines such as public health, gender studies, sociology, clinical studies, psychology, etc.,” she concludes.

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