Fundación Alternativas (in English ''Alternatives Foundation'') is a Spanish progressive

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

created in 1997 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

which aims to discuss issues of interest to citizens and act as a channel of political, social, economic and cultural thought. Although many members of its trustees and members of the board belong to the

social-democratic Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...

, the Foundation has no legal or organizational relationship with this party. Fundación Alternativas comprises four independently working study sections: *Laboratorio de Alternativas (''Alternatives Laboratory''), whose director is Jesús Ruiz-Huerta, is configured as a meeting place, discussion and collaboration between universities, researchers, public authorities and anyone else interested in improving collective life. Its primary goal is to bring public policy under permanent scrutiny, to assess its suitability for the construction of an advanced society in terms of individual and collective freedoms,

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

and

social equity Social equity is concerned with justice and Social justice, fairness of social policy. Since the 1960s, the concept of social equity has been used in a variety of institutional contexts, including education and public administration. Overview D ...

and economic progress. *Observatorio de Política Exterior española (OPEX) (''Alternatives Foundation's Observatory of Spanish Foreign Policy'') whose director is the vice president of the Foundation,

Nicolás Sartorius Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

. OPEX was established in October 2004 to refresh and promote Spain's foreign policy on all fronts: politics, security, economics and culture. The Observatory seeks to act as a center of study, debate and dissemination of Spanish foreign policy issues from a progressive standpoint. Spanish

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

is analyzed from a critical point of view, open to innovative approaches in the different geographical and thematic, bilateral and multilateral areas within the framework of Spain's membership in 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 des ...

and its inclusion in the

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

process. *Estudios de Progreso (''Studies on Progress''), a program on progress and proposals for

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Definition Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or sociocult ...

by young researchers. *Observatorio de Cultura y Comunicación (OCC-FA) (''Observatory for Culture and Communication''), a center of study, debate and proposals on current transformations of culture and communication, and public policies that affect them.What ''OCC-FA'' is?
From its foundation date, its president was

Victoria Camps Victoria Camps (born 1941, Barcelona) is a Spanish philosopher and professor of ethics. Career She obtained a degree in philosophy at the University of Barcelona, completing her thesis, entitled “ La dimensión pragmática del lenguaje”, in ...

until 2001, when she was succeeded by

Pere Portabella Pere Portabella i Ràfols (; born in 1927) is a Spanish politician, director, and producer. In 1977, he was elected Senator in Spain's first democratic elections and participated in the writing of the Spanish Constitution. As a filmmaker, his s ...

. Its board of trustees includes

Felipe González Felipe González Márquez (; born 5 March 1942) is a Spanish lawyer, professor, and politician, who was the Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997, and the 3rd Prime Minister of Spain since the ...

Gregorio Peces-Barba Gregorio Peces-Barba (13 January 1938 – 24 July 2012) was a Spanish politician and jurist. He was one of the seven jurists who wrote the Spanish Constitution of 1978, acting as a representative of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. Peces- ...

Joaquín Almunia Joaquín Almunia Amann (born 17 June 1948) is a Spanish politician and formerly, prominent member of the European Commission. During his tenure in the two Barroso Commissions, he was European commissioner responsible for economic and monetary a ...

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections ...

, among others.

References

External links

Fundación Alternativas web
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fundacion Alternativas 1997 establishments in Spain Organizations established in 1997 Political and economic think tanks based in the European Union Think tanks based in Spain Political and economic research foundations