Pasqual Maragall i Mira (Barcelona, 1941), mayor of Barcelona and president of the Generalitat, is one of the most prominent political figures in the country’s contemporary history. His tenure as president of the Generalitat of Catalonia from 2003 to 2006 became associated with the turbulent events surrounding the creation of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy and the consequences it triggered. This circumstance has overshadowed the broader achievements of the Generalitat during Maragall’s presidency. How significant was that political action? Was it an insignificant parenthesis in Catalonia’s recent history? Or, on the contrary, did it mark the beginning of innovative policies that extended beyond those years of governance?

To answer these questions, the authors of the book examine the institutional, economic, social, and territorial policies that the “government of change” led by Maragall designed and implemented, describing their objectives and effects, both immediate and long-term. In doing so, they highlight the successes and limitations of the actions carried out by Pasqual Maragall’s government, a figure who was able to identify the major collective challenges facing Catalonia, Spain, and Europe during the transition from the 20th to the 21st century and sought to address them.