About Us

The Observatory is a think tank addressing the challenges, crises and innovations of the 21st century in the double perspective of policies and citizens. It focuses on three major spheres – digitalization, migration, and climate.

The ‘Policy and Citizens Observatory: digitalization, migration, climate’ is a think tank for research and policy on the major challenges, risks, crises and innovations – political, social, technological, cultural:

· e-democracy, e-government, Internet and social media;

· Green pact, climate and environmental activism and policies;

· migration & mobility and refugee studies, migration & diaspora and development; minorities and integration, solidarity movements;

· (post)democracy, populism, radicalization, youth extremism;

· civic activism, mobilizations, citizenship, human rights;

· urban studies – smart cities, public space, culture.

Our portfolio covers research, policy-oriented expertise, publications, civic activities, participatory practices, teaching and training.

Our dynamic team of senior and junior researchers, with different and complementary backgrounds, is proud to offer a unique link between academia, education, policy making and civil society. The members of the Observatory have rich experience in research and policy consultancy on national, regional and international level, EU projects, including FP6, FP7 and Horizon 2020. Our researchers have contributed to several publications in Palgrave Macmillan, Routledge, Springer, Brill, McGill, etc.

Meet the Team

President

Anna Krasteva

Anna Krasteva is a professor of Political Science at the NBU and Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Lille, France. She is editor-in chief of the international journal ‘Southeastern Europe’ (Brill), president and member of numerous international scientific boards. Her main fields of research and teaching are migration, refugee and border policies and politics, national populism, radicalization and far-right youth, post-democracy, crises and leadership, activism and citizenship, She led a project of the Global Campus on Human Rights and the European project on ‘Maximizing the developmental impact of labor migration in Western Balkans’. Among her recent projects are “Representation of the crisis and crisis of representation” (H2020), “Enhancing Digital Citizenship” (Erasmsus+), “Evaluation of the common European asylum system under pressure and recommendations for further development” (H2020), ‘Migration Impact Assessment towards Integration and Local Development in European Rural and Mountain Regions’. Among her recent publications are Krasteva, Anna. Bulgarian migration paradox. Migration and development in Bulgaria. 2019. Anna Krasteva (co-ed) Citizens’ activism and solidarity movements. Contending with
populism. Palgrave, 2019.

Friends

Almira Sagimbayeva

Almira Sagimbayeva has a PhD in Economic Sciences and is completing a second PhD in Political Science at the New Bulgarian University. She has rich professional experience in International Relations through her many years of experience as a civil servant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. Her current research interests are in the fields of ethnicity, migration, multiculturalism and diversity management. She has publications in English, Russian and Kazakh.