Premi internacional Antoni Calvó Armengol

Antoni Calvó Armengol was born in 1970 in Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra. He was a student of the Lycée Comte de Foix. He then studied an Engineering degree in Paris, at the École Polytechnique (1992) and at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (1994) and a Higher Civil Engineering degree at the Universidad Politécnica in Madrid (1994). Later, in 2000, he studied a PhD in Economics at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées within the framework of the European Doctoral Programme. 

The curriculum vitae of Antoni Calvó Armengol illustrates his dynamism in the field of social economy as a professor and as a prolific and innovative researcher, both in France, Spain and the Anglo-Saxon world.

In later years, he worked as a professor at the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics. Despite other opportunities, he always wanted this to be the headquarters of his international academic career. 

His work as editor and advisor of the main scientific journals in both Europe and North America depict the impact of his academic contributions and the recognition he achieved in the field of social economy. 

In this sense, it is worth highlighting the Young Economist Award that was awarded to him by the European Economics Association in 1999.

The Barcelona School of Economics, describes Antoni Calvó Armengol as a researcher “widely regarded as one of the main theorists of his generation, known for his work on social networks. He left behind a large number of articles that have had a great impact in the field, including research on social networks and employment markets that demonstrate how job patterns and wages can be explained through the exchange of employment information on social networks”. As an example of this legacy, the extensive by Antoni Calvó Armengol bibliography (at the end of this website) has been collected by the National Library of Andorra and completed in collaboration with the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE). The collection contains his works in chronological order to illustrate the origin and evolution of the researcher’s thoughts throughout his career.

On his website, Antoni Calvó Armengol shared his academic work in progress (research, publications, lessons), but also included elements to make Andorra known to the world. Within the framework of the publications on Andorra the article “La Crema: A Case Study in Mutual Fire Insurance” stands out, which he wrote for a prestigious American journal in which he researched the viability of this traditional fire insurance mechanism.

As an expression of his personal ethics, Antoni Calvó Armengol also added on his website, a selection of quotations from the Manual Digest (one of the first publications of the history, government and customs of Andorra), as well as other reflections that defined his way of thinking: On declining standards.

With the aim of serving his country, Antoni Calvó Armengol represented the Principality of Andorra as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Portuguese Republic (from 27 June 2001 to 18 July 2007) and to the Helvetic Confederation (from 25 January 2006 until his death), and as a permanent representative at the United National Office and other international organisations in Geneva (from July 2007 until his death). 

Antoni Calvó Armengol died suddenly in 2007, at the age of 37.

The originality and impact of his legacy is reflected in an emotional obituary written on 6 November 2007 by Andreu Mas-Colell and Salvador Barbera, both lecturers of the Barcelona School of Economics and economic professors at the Universitat Autònoma in Barcelona and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra: “Antoni Calvó, a brilliant researcher”.

We will quote an extract: “As a citizen of a small but open nation, he was able to use the best of all the countries and traditions that influenced him. The French influence led him to discover literature that was relatively unknown to other economists, his engineering training was completed with a wide range of references in sociology and philosophy, all of which contributed in the wise choice of his research topics. He made the study of social networks and their economic role his own personal project, that allowed him to use his special interests and capabilities, thus becoming one of the most important authors in one of today’s most popular fields of research. Toni was a highly esteemed teacher. Aware of the importance of teaching students, he successfully and happily managed a growing number of doctoral theses, and was already setting a precedent. His presence attracted researchers and co-authors from around the world. The academic future of economy in Barcelona and Spain will not be the same without him. His absence will be sorely felt for many years, although his friends and colleagues will keep his spirit and memory alive.”