The Institut d’ Estudis Autonòmics (IEA) is a research institute linked to the Ministry of Institutional Relations and Participation of the Catalan Government. It was founded in 1984 by that Government, and it has a twofold mission:
1) To promote the study and analysis of legal and political issues related to the development of self-government and political decentralization within Spain and Catalonia, and of those related to the development of federalism in general.
2) To provide the Catalan Government and Parliament with legal advice on political and legal initiatives dealing with the development of self-government.