Jesús Caldera

Jesús Caldera is the Executive Vicepresident of IDEAS Foundation, a progressive think-tank linked to the Spanish Socialdemocratic Party (PSOE), and launched by Prime Minister Zapatero in 2008.

A Graduate in Political Sciences, Law and Sociology, he has been the coordinator of the electoral programs that gave the victory to the PSOE in the General Elections of 2004 and 2008.

He is an expert in Policies for Broadening Access to New Rights for individuals as well as for communities. As a Minister of Labor and Social Affairs (2004-2008), he drafted the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for Dependent People Act (Dependency Act) considered to be the fourth pillar of the Welfare State; and the Equality Act that placed Spain at the vanguard of effective and legal equality between men and women.
As a Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, he promoted a reform to stabilize the labor market and approved the Self-Employed Workers’ Statute, to put an end to a historical discrimination against this community. He also promoted the Statute of Spaniards Abroad.

As the Vicepresident of IDEAS Foundation, he has focused on development issues and the sustainability agenda. He has also been actively engaged in building a strong network of progressive think-tanks and intellectuals around the world. Under his leadership, the IDEAS Foundation has been working very closely with Columbia University, in particular with Prof. Joseph Stiglitz and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and their respective research institutes on a broad range of topics, from the microeconomic solutions to the food crisis to the potential implementation of a financial transaction tax. The Foundation has also been hiring Columbia alumni (for example the Director, Carlos Mulas is a Columbia Graduate) and the Foundation has just started a special internship program for current GSAS and SIPA students.

It is as a result of this collaboration between the IDEAS Foundation and Columbia University why PM Zapatero (PM of Spain and also President of IDEAS) will be speaking this year at the World Leaders Forum.

Source: University Programs and Events Planning Resources, September 2010