University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria
One of the oldest and largest Universities in Bulgaria and South Eastern Europe with its roots going back to 1920. Having gone through major transformation has come to take its current form over the 1990s and has achieved a high degree of dynamism over the past 5 years with 30,000 students and over 1000 members of staff. The University has a special focus on postgraduate education with a high degree of excellence in economic and business education and research. International business and financial management as well as business law and foreign trade are some of its well known educational fields. The department of Public Administration, which draws from the tradition of the university as a centre for Financial and Administrative Sciences since the 1940s, will be the major contributor to this project having a special expertise in regional development and economic geography and having acted on many occasions as a policy advising body for the Government, regional authorities as well as international organisations active in the region.
Professor Statty Stattev
Professor Statty Stattev is a Professor of economics and currently the Vice Rector of UNWE, Director of Vratza School of Economics at UNWE and Secretary of Bulgaria's National Scientific Council. Professor Stattev has been awarded the Bulgarian Ministry of Education Gold Medal and the Rector's Award for Distinguish Teaching. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, Union of Scientists in Bulgaria and Union of Bulgarian Economists. Professor Stattev is an experienced researcher with over 120 publications and his research experience includes working as the Senior Researcher and Coordinator of PHARE ACE projects between 1992 and 1996 on "Emerging entrepreneurship in Bulgaria and Romania" and "Economics of restructuring and reintegration" and a TEMPUS program manager. He has been a visiting professor at Boston University, USA, a Fulbright Scholar and has worked at the World Bank in Washington.
Dr. Stela Raleva
Dr. Stela Raleva is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department of the UNWE with research interests in Economic Stabilization and Growth during transition. She has taught various topics in Economics spanning from Economic Theory to Development Economics and Management Issues. Since 2004, she has held the position of Assistant to the Managing Board at the Bulgarian National Bank. She has received various scholarships from Universities in Greece, Hungary, Poland and the UK. She has led a number of projects for her University as well as for the Bulgarian Ministry of Education mainly on topics relating to Economic Development and issues regarding financial economics.