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Eduard Punset i Casals (; 9 November 1936 – 22 May 2019) was a Spanish
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
,
lawyer,
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
, and science popularizer.
He held a degree in Law from the
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university lo ...
and a
Master's
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in Economic Sciences from the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. He was an economic writer for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, economics director of the Latin American edition of the newsweekly ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'', and an economist for the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Haiti. As a specialist on the impact of emerging technologies, Punset was a consultant to COTEC, Advising Professor of International Marketing at
ESADE Esade (Escola Superior d'Administració i Direcció d'Empreses) is a prestigious international private educational institution based in Barcelona, Spain. Esade runs two schools of the university, Esade Business School and Esade Law School, as well ...
, president of the Instituto Tecnológico Bull, Professor of Innovation and Technology at the
IE Business School
IE Business School is a graduate and undergraduate school of business, located in Madrid, Spain, European Union, Europe. It was founded in 1973 under the name Instituto de Empresa and since 2009 is part of IE University. IE Business School runs ...
(formerly Instituto de Empresa) in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, President of ENHER, Deputy General Director of Economic and Financial Studies at the
Banco Hispanoamericano, and Coordinator of the Strategic Plan for the Information Society of the
Government of Catalonia
The Executive Council of Catalonia ( ca, Consell Executiu) or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regulation, and administratio ...
.
Political career
Punset started his political career in the
Regional Government of Catalonia
The Executive Council of Catalonia ( ca, Consell Executiu) or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regulation, and administratio ...
as Minister of Finance from 1978 to 1980, taking part in the implementation of the State of the Autonomies in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. He was a member of
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in th ...
's
Union of the Democratic Centre, with which party he won a seat in the
regional parliament in 1980 and in 1980-81 was appointed Minister for Relations with the
European Communities in the
Government of Spain
gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua
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, caption = Logo of the Government of Spain
, headerstyle = background-color: #efefef
, label1 = Role
, data1 = Executive power
, label2 = Established
, d ...
from 1980 to 1981.
He was elected to the
Spanish Congress in 1982 as an independent in the list of
Convergence and Union
Convergence and Union ( ca, Convergència i Unió, CiU; ) was a Catalan nationalist electoral alliance in Catalonia, Spain. It was a federation of two constituent parties, the larger Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and its smaller coun ...
(Catalan nationalist coalition) for
Barcelona province, but he resigned the next year. When Spain joined the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, Punset was elected to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
as a member of Adolfo Suárez's
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) in 1987 and 1989. Punset quit CDS in 1991, following Suárez's resignment, but remained an EP member until 1994. As president of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
's delegation to
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, he supervised part of the process of economic transformation undertaken in Eastern countries after the fall of the
Berlin Wall.
Author and professor
Punset was author of several books on economic analysis and social thought. He was also Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at the Faculty of Economics of the Chemical Institute of Sarrià (
Ramon Llull University). Since 1996, he directed and presented
''Redes'' inked page in Spanish a science programme based around interviews with leading scientists, aired on the
TVE. He was also the president of the audiovisual production compan
smartplanet inked page in Spanishand board member of
Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts.
Personal
Punset was diagnosed with
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
in November 2007, from which he recovered. Punset died on 22 May 2019 after succumbing to a lengthy illness aged 82. He was the father of politician
Carolina Punset, writer and science popularizer and Nadia.
Awards
* "Honor Plaque" awarded by the Asociación Española de Científicos (Spanish Association of Scientists) (2001).
* Airtel Prize for Journalism awarded by the Fundación Vodafone (2002).
* "José Manuel Porquet" Prize for Digital Journalism (2006).
* "Galardón de la Psicología" awarded by the Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de la Región de Murcia (Official College of Psychologists, Murcia) (2007).
* "Rei Jaume I" Prize for Journalism awarded by the Government of Valencia (2007).
* Science and Technology Prize awarded by AEEPP, Asociación Española de Editoriales de Publicaciones Periódicas (Spanish Association of Publishers of Periodicals) (2008).
* Manel Xifra i Boada Prize awarded by the Col·legi d'Enginyers Tècnics Industrials de Girona (Official College of Industrial Engineers, Girona) (2008).
* "Asociación Profesional Española de Informadores de prensa, radio y televisión: APEI-Catalunya" (Spanish Association of Press, Television and Radio Reporters, Catalonia) Prize (2008).
* "Hombre CQ del Año" Prize for the Best Writer (2008).
* "Mención de honor" (Honorary Mention) by the Sociedad Española de Neurología (Spanish Neurology Society) (2008).
* "Premios Zapping: Premio Humano" awarded by TVE (2009).
*"10 Most Influential Ibero American Intellectuals" of the year – Foreign Policy magazine (2012).
Selected works
![Eduard Punset, Inteligencia social y sociedad emocional](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Eduard_Punset%2C_Inteligencia_social_y_sociedad_emocional.jpg)
* ''El viaje a la felicidad: Las nuevas claves científicas'' (''The Journey to Happiness: New Scientific Clues'', 2005; English translation to be published in the United States in 2007 as ''The Happiness Trip: A Scientific Journey'')
* ''Cara a cara con la vida, la mente y el universo'' (''Face to Face with Life, Mind, and the Universe'', 2004; English translation to be published in the United States in 2007 as ''Mind, Life and Universe: Conversations with Great Scientists of Our Time'')
* ''Adaptarse a la marea. La selección natural en los negocios'' (''Adapting to the Tide: Natural Selection in Business'', 2004)
* ''Manual para sobrevivir en el siglo XXI'' (''A 20th Century Survival Manual'', 2000)
* ''Information Resources and Corporate Growth'' (coauthor, 1989)
* ''La España impertinente'' (''Impertinent Spain'', 1986)
* ''España: sociedad cerrada, sociedad abierta'' (''Spain: Closed Society, Open Society'', 1982)
* ''La salida de la crisis'' (''The Way Out of the Crisis'', 1980)
References
External links
RTVE official Web page for ''Redes''
Eduardo Punset's blog
*
Skeptical commentary on Redes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Punset, Eduardo
1936 births
2019 deaths
Economists from Catalonia
Alumni of the University of London
Complutense University of Madrid alumni
Convergence and Union politicians
Democratic and Social Centre (Spain) MEPs
Economy ministers of Catalonia
ESADE faculty
Finance ministers of Catalonia
Members of the 2nd Congress of Deputies (Spain)
MEPs for Spain 1987–1989
MEPs for Spain 1989–1994
Politicians from Barcelona
Spanish television presenters