Xabier Barandiaran

Xabier Barandiaran Irastorza holds a PhD in Sociology (2001) with a thesis titled “The Political Legitimacy of Young People in Public Institutions in the Basque Country.” He also has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Deusto (1994).

He is currently an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Deusto, Donostia-San Sebastián campus. He teaches subjects such as general sociology, political science basics, democracy, and collaborative governance.

Xabier has directed the EITB-DEUSTO Master’s in Institutional and Corporate Communication and the Official Master’s in Research, Consultancy, and Social Innovation. He has published books and many articles in specialized journals.

He is part of the research team in communication at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, which is recognized with an “A” rating by the Basque Government’s Department of Education, Universities, and Research. He is currently involved in several research projects related to the quality of democracy and collaborative governance.

He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford (UK), Javeriana University (Colombia), Columbia University (USA), and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), among others.

From 2023 to 2025, Xabier is a Fellow at the Agirre Lehendakaria Center (ALC)–Center for Political Studies, where he is researching the value of collaborative governance for strengthening democracy. He is also leading a joint research project between the University of Deusto and the University of Gothenburg on the quality of democracy in the Basque Country.

In addition to his academic work, he has served as an Advisor to the Provincial Deputy of Gipuzkoa (2019–2023), Chief of Staff to the Provincial Deputy of Gipuzkoa (2007–2011 / 2015–2019), and Chief of Staff at the Department of Transport and Public Works of the Basque Government (2005–2007).