Predrag BejakoviÄ
took his doctorate at the Economics Faculty in Zagreb and now works full time as a senior researcher in the Institute of Public Finance, Zagreb. His main fields of scientific interests are labor economics, the pension system, welfare policy and public administration. He received the Croatian annual award for science on 12 December 2009. He achieved a Fulbright fellowship at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, USA in 1995â1996, and a British Council Scholarship at the Universities of Essex and Bath in 2000â2001. He publishes in scientific and professional journals and he is the author and co-author of a number of books on economics, the pension system, education (particularly VET and adult education), policy planning, public finance and labor economics. He was a member of the working group responsible for Strategy of Education, Science and Technology. He is now a member of the working groups for the development of the Strategy Croatia 2024 and is responsible for social policy and the pension system. He is a member of the working group for defining the minimum wage in Croatia. His recent articles include âThe importance of digital literacy on the labour marketâ (co-author with Željko Mrnjavac, Employee relations, 42(4), 2020), âHow to achieve efficiency and equity in the tax system?â (Revija za socijalnu politiku, 27(2), 2020), and âFully funded pension system in six non-EU Balkan countriesâ (co-author with Željko Mrnjavac, Ekonomska misao i praksa, 29(1), 2020), âDeterminants of tax morale in Croatia: an ordered log it modelâ (co-author with Slavko Bezeredi, Business systems research, 10(2), 2019). He has also authored numerous chapters in books. His orcid is
Mirela Cristea
is a professor at the University of Craiova (Romania), Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Finance, Banking and Economic Analysis, and the Center for Economic, Banking and Financial Research. Her main research directions and teaching activities are insurance and private pension funds, banking administration, and interdisciplinary research in economics. She obtained the scientific title of Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Craiova and graduated from the Post-Doctoral School in Economics and Applied Sciences in Economics at the Romanian Academy of Bucharest, on the subject of the private pension system in Romania. She received two national awards from the Faculties on Economics Association
Dorota Domalewska
is an assistant professor at the National Security Faculty, War Studies University, Warsaw, Poland. She is the Head of the Department of Security Education. During the years 2012â2015, she was a lecturer at Stamford International University and Rangsit University in Thailand and, in 2019, a research fellow at Rangsit University, Thailand. She carries out interdisciplinary research blending the field of security, communication and education. She is the author of âMultidimensional communication from a security perspective. Communication in crisis situations and strategic communicationâ (Warsaw: War Studies University, 2020, in Polish), and âDeterminants of the modern security environmentâ (co-editor with RadosÅaw Bielawski, Warsaw: War Studies University, 2020, in Polish). She has published numerous articles on security education, immigrant integration processes, strategic communication in social media, and societal security. Since 2016, she has been an Associate Editor and, since 2020, Editor-in-Chief of Security and Defence Quarterly, issn 2300-8741. Her orcid is
Nikos Kourachanis
is an assistant professor of Social Policy and Housing in the Department of Social Policy at Panteion University of Athens. His research interests are social
Effrosyni E. Kouskouna
is an actuary from Greece, Fellow of the Hellenic Actuarial Society (fhas), holding a BSc in Mathematics (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens), an MSc in Statistics of Insurance Organisations (Athens University of Economics & Business). She is currently the Chairperson of the National Actuarial Authority (since 2009), working on social and occupational pensions issues. Formerly, she has worked as a chief actuary in insurance companies. She has many years (since 1988) of experience in a variety of fields that cover a wide range of issues related to social, occupational and private insurance. She participates in a group conducting actuarial studies for the financial evolution of the Greek pension system and in the rule-making team on the activities and supervision of the Occupational Funds (iorp ii). As an actuarial pension expert, she is a representative of Greece at the article 83 group of Eurostat (actuarial issues of the EU staff pension scheme) and she has co-operated for many years with the ilo. Effrosyni is a teaching fellow on actuarial issues at courses of the Hellenic Actuarial Society (since 1996) for candidates to achieve a fellowship of this Society. Her research interests and scientific publications include actuarial, fiscal and social issues.
Christos Koutsampelas
is an assistant professor in the Department of Social and Educational Policy of the University of Peloponnese. His research focuses on socio-economic inequalities and, in particular, on identifying, measuring and understanding differences in human achievements and opportunities as well as in assessing public policies which might contribute to reducing these differences in an efficient and sustainable way. He has been involved in several research programs, published articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and collective volumes and co-authored a large number of policy reports. He has participated as an independent expert in the European Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion (2011â2014) and in the European Social Policy Network (espn) (2015â2018). His recent work on social protection included Financing Social Protection in Cyprus (Brussels: European Commission, 2019) and âThe Social Protection System in Cyprus: Recent Initiatives and Labour Market
Velibor LaliÄ
is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Security Studies, University of Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His main research interests are hate crimes, ethnic and religious violence, radicalisation, terrorism, and migration, mainly focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans. He is a managing editor of the Journal of Security and Criminal Sciences, issn 2637-3076, which is published in collaboration with the Faculty of Security Studies, the University of Banja Luka, and the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, Belgrade. His recent articles include âPolicing Hate Crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovinaâ (co-author with SlaÄana ÄuriÄ, Policing and Society, 28(9), 2018), âFear of Terrorism â An Emerging Research Agenda in BiHâ (co-author with Mile Å kiman, In Criminal Justice and Security in Central and Eastern Europe â From Common Sense to Evidence-based Policy-making. Conference Proceedings, edited by Gorazd MeÅ¡ko, Branko Lobnikar, Kaja Prislan, Rok Hacin, Maribor: Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, 2018); âSecuritization of Migration in European Union and the Role of Private Security Firmsâ (co-author with Predrag ÄeraniÄ, Security Dialogues, 10(1), 47â61), âSecurity in the Western Balkans â Current State and Prospectsâ (co-author with Predrag ÄeraniÄ, in Security challenges and the place of the Balkans and Serbia in a changing world, edited by Ana JoviÄ-LaziÄ, Alexis Troude, Institute of International Politics and Economics, Faculty of Security, University of Belgrade, 2020). His orcid is
Shkëlzen Macukulli
is an Albanian diplomat born in Durrës, Albania. He has served for many years as Counsel of the Albanian Embassy to Warsaw, Poland. Macukulli holds a masterâs degree in International Business and International Relations. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Sciences - and has represented Albania at various conferences on international relations, security and human rights. His research interests are related to international issues, security issues, and European integration. Currently, Macukulli works at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania. His orcid is
is an associate professor at the Faculty of National Security and Defence, Department of National and International Security, âG.S. Rakovskiâ National Defence College, Sofia, Bulgaria. Her research interests are national and international security, privatization of security and diplomacy. Recent publications include âPrivatizing securityâ (Journal of Defense Resources Management 7(1), 2016) and âSpodelyaneto nainformatsiya v konteksta na otvetnite deystviya za borba s terorizma (Information sharing in the context of counter-terrorism responses)â (in Evropaprez 21 vek: Regionalnata sigurnost ineobhodimite reformi v Evropeyskiya sayuz, 2017). Her email address is: irina_mindova@abv.bg.
GraÈiela Georgiana Noja
is an associate professor at the West University of Timisoara, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Marketing and International Economic Relations, from Timisoara, Romania. She currently holds the Vice-Dean position at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and was the director of the East European Center for Research in Economics and Business (ecreb) (2018â2020). Her main research and teaching activities are developed within the framework of Economics and International Business area, with a focus on the world economy, globalization and European economic integration. She is Manager of the Erasmus+ Project 2019-1-RO01-KA203-063214 entitled âCoordinated higher institutions responses to digitalizationâ, implemented during 2019â2021 by the lead partner (applicant organization) West University of Timisoara, having as partners other four prestigious European universities and an institute specialized in prospective studies and analyses. She is also co-editor, reviewer and member of the scientific board of numerous top tier journals and international conferences. Her scientific outputs cover over 50 publications, out of which 20 articles are indexed in the Web of Science database, such as: âFlexicurity models and productivity interference in cee countries: a new approach based on cluster and spatial analysisâ (Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 31(1), 2018); âPopulation ageing, labor productivity and economic welfare in the European Unionâ (Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 33(1), 2020); âThe impact of population aging and public health support on EU labor marketsâ (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 2020). Her orcid is
holds a Ph.D. in Economic Science. She is a lecturer and researcher at Barleti University in Tirana, a member of Academic Senate at Barleti University. She is the Head of the Admissions Office at Barleti University. She is a member of General Assembly of the Western Balkan Alumni Association founded by the European Union and co-founder of Albanian Forum for Economic Development in Serbia. Nunaj Kortoci holds a Ph.D. from the European University of Tirana with a thesis entitled âThe Public Administration Reform in Albaniaâ, which was evaluated with a maximum number of points. She joined the University of Warsaw as an Erasmus Ph.D. scholar. Her current research interests are related to management, international economy, public administration and higher education. Nunaj Kortoci has authored several peer-reviewed articles such as: âRelationship between number of employed students with number of students that perceive themselves as brandsâ (European Journal of Economics, Law and Social Sciences iipccl Publishing, 3(2), 2019), âUniversities and public administrationsâ institutions in Albania: The cooperation between them from the point of view of studentsâ (Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(6), 2016), âThe training of Albanian public administration: An analysis of training policies and their impact in the professional development of civil servantsâ (Journal of Education and Social Research 6(3), 2016), âPersonal Branding perception by Albanian studentsâ (International Journal of Global Business, 9(1), 2016). She has written over 80 analytic articles in the daily press in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Great Britain, Norway and has given over 50 tv professional interviews. Her orcid is:
Mile Å ikman
is Head of the Department for Police Training, Ministry of the Interior Republic of Srpska. He earned his Ph.D. from the Law Faculty, University of Kragujevac. He is an associate professor at the Faculty of Security Studies and Law Faculty, University of Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His main research interests are organized crime, terrorism, corruption, and other serious crimes. He is a managing editor of the Journal of Security, Police and Citizens, issn 1840-0698, which is published by the Ministry of Interior Republic of Srpska. His most important book is âCriminal Law Reaction on Serious Crimesâ (co-author with prof. dr Miodrag SimoviÄ, Law Faculty Univerity of Banja Luka, 2017). His recent articles include âCertain Manifestation Forms and Proving Money Laundering in the Emerging Marketâ (co-author with MiloÅ¡ GrujiÄ, Policing and Society, Acta Economica, 18(32), 2020); âAdequacy of Penal Policy in Criminal Cases of Organized Crimeâ (co-author with prof. dr Miodrag
Aspasia Strantzalou
is an economist from Greece and is currently on the scientific staff at the Hellenic Parliamentary Budget Office (2018-today), working on social policy issues. Formerly (2003â2018), she has worked at the Greek Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Social Solidarity on social security issues, mainly on the pensions system. As a pension expert, she has been a representative of Greece at the Social Protection Committee (spc) of the European Committee (2006â2018) and has contributed to the reports published by this Committee. She has also been vice chair of the ad-hoc group on Efficiency, Effectiveness and Financing of Social Protection and a member of the Indicators Sub-Group of the Social Protection Committee and of its Working Group on Age (2004â2008), having contributed to the Pensions Adequacy Reports and also a member of the Mutual Information System on Social Protection (missoc) (2004â2009). She has been a teaching fellow (on economics and mathematics for economists) at the economics department of the University of York (1997â2002) and a teacher of economics at the Greek School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (aspaite) (2004â2006). Her research interests and scientific publications lie within the area of fiscal and social policy.
Nevenko Vranješ
holds PhDs in Law and Political Sciences. He earned his first PhD from the Faculty of Law, University of Niš, Republic of Serbia and the second from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. He is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His main research interests are public administration, local self-government, administrative law, European administrative space and EU administrative law. He also researches political systems, European integration processes, Euro-Atlantic integration processes focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans. His areas of expertise include public administration reform, strategic planning, civil service and local self-government, and is engaged in the delegation of European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and other international organizations. He
Marzena Żakowska
is an assistant professor at the National Security Faculty, War Studies University, Warsaw, Poland. She is Director of the Global Affairs and Diplomacy Studies - and Chair of the War Studies Working Group at the International Society of Military Science. Her main field of expertise includes war and armed conflicts, Balkan statesâ security, migrations and social security. She is the author of such publications as âThe roots of armed conflicts â multilevel security perspectiveâ (Security and Defence Quarterly 3 (30), 2020), âStrategic challenges for Serbiaâs integration with the European Unionâ (Security and Defence Quarterly 2(11), 2016); âMediation in Armed Conflictâ (Security and Defence Quarterly, 4(17),2017); âDetermining Polish parliamentariansâ tweets on migration: A case study of Polandâ (co-author with Dorota Domalewska, Czech Journal of Political Science 3, 2019); âMigration from war-torn countries -an analysis of parliamentariansâ tweetsâ (co-author with Dorota Domalewska, PrzeglÄ
d Europejski, no. 2 (2019), in Polish). Her orcid is