The Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política (IIEP – Interdisciplinary Institute of Political Economy of Buenos Aires) was created in 2011 as an Executive Unit dependent on the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET by its initials in Spanish). Its foundation was nourished by the work track record of various researchers, groups, and centers associated to the Faculty of Economic Sciences (FCE) of the UBA – where it is based – and the CONICET, which decided to join abilities and efforts with the purpose of promoting interdisciplinary research in the field of social sciences, with special focus on the economic area. 

IIEP’s researchers have different education backgrounds, including economics, sociology, political sciences, history, philosophy, and physical and cognitive sciences. The institute activity starts with the acknowledgment of the complexity of economic-social fields, which calls for the adoption of  multiple-angle, multi-method approach. This opens up cooperation opportunities among different areas of study, maintaining the specificities of each disciplinary field. 

At present, IIEP is consolidated as a reference center of economic research in Argentina. This is reflected not only in its academic production, but also in the institute’s and its members’ vocation for actively participating in public debate through press media and other channels and its involvement in various instances of dialogue and advisory activities with different sectors of the society. Also, IIEP is part of various research networks and its members have established cooperation relations with different academic institutions both in Argentina and abroad. 

IIEP’s main purposes are as follows: 

• Promote interdisciplinary scientific research that helps further knowledge in economic and social subjects. 
• Interact with local and overseas academic organizations, creating bonds and ties for building networks that boost the institute’s research capabilities. 
• Participate in public debates, perform technical assistance tasks, and influence the design  -of public policies in priority issues for the development agenda. 
• Create a working and interaction context to foster the development of young researchers. 
• Contribute to the educational activity. 

The institute has, among its main research areas, the following: a) macroeconomics and economic policies; b) productive structure, innovation and economic development; c) social protection and public policies; d) labor market; e) fiscal policy; f) complex networks and data analysis; g) applied economics and econometrics; h) international trade and integration; i) natural resources, energy and sustainable development; j) economic and business history; k) industry’s history and; l) epistemology of economics.