Founders
The two founders of the Institute for Global Analytics, Rumena and Gergana, trace their longstanding and fruitful association to the University of Cambridge, where they met over a decade ago. Rumena went on to receive her PhD from the University of Oxford. Gergana had just received her PhD from Harvard University and was focusing on her postdoctoral research. Rumena’s and Gergana’s true bond is manifested in their shared aspiration not only to innovate and deliver meticulous analyses but also to make sure that such scientific output has a practical positive impact on their home country – Bulgaria.
In essence, the Institute for Global Analytics brings together a substantial experience of rigorous research at the world’s leading educational institutions with an intimate understanding of Bulgarian politics and customs.
You can contact Rumena on rfilipova@globalanalytics-bg.org
Dr. Rumena Filipova
Dr. Rumena Filipova is Chairperson and Co-Founder of the Institute for Global Analytics. She received a DPhil and MPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford and a BA in Politics, Psychology and Sociology from the University of Cambridge. Rumena has gained a wide-ranging experience in the NGO sector. She was a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria), having also previously held visiting fellowships at Carnegie Moscow Center, the Polish Institute of International Affairs, the Centre for Liberal Strategies, Chatham House, Cambridge Central Asia Forum.
Rumena’s main research interests focus on the politics and international relations of Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular reference to questions of identity, Constructivist IR theory, media and disinformation, the authoritarian influence exercised by Russia and China in the region. She has an extensive background in conference presentations and organization and has appeared on Bulgarian and international media such as the Bulgarian National Radio, Voice of America, Al Jazeera, German National Radio, Süddeutsche Zeitung, North Macedonian news agency Meta, Emerging Europe.
Key publications:
Filipova, R., 30 April 2022, Constructing the Limits of Europe: Identity and Foreign Policy in Poland, Bulgaria, and Russia since 1989, with forewords by Harald Wydra and Gergana Yankova-Dimova, Ibidem Verlag, distributed by Columbia University Press
Filipova, R., 2022, ‘Bulgaria’s Balancing Act‘, Eurozine. Translation of the article in Bulgarian in Liberal review.
Filipova, R., 2021, ‘Danger Almost Deferred? Chinese Corrosive Capital in Bulgaria and Romania‘, Central European Institute of Asian Studies
Filipova, R., 2021, Tackling Kremlin’s Media Capture in Southeast Europe. Shared Patterns, Specific Vulnerabilities and Responses to Russian Disinformation, Sofia: Center for the Study of Democracy
Filipova, R., Stefanov, R., 2021, Countering Kremlin’s Media Influence in Europe. Patterns of Anti-Democratic Messaging, Disinformation Response, and Resilience Assets, Sofia: Center for the Study of Democracy
Filipova, R., Stefanov, R, 2021, ‘The Twin Authoritarian Challenge in the Western Balkans’, Europe’s Edge, Center for European Policy Analysis
Filipova, R., 2020, The Shrinking Space for Media Freedom in Southeast Europe in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic and State of Emergency, Sofia: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Media Programme South East Europe/Center for the Study of Democracy
Filipova, R., Stefanov, R., 2020, ‘Authoritarian Shadows in the European Union: Bulgarian MEPs’ Voting Patterns’, Center for the Study of Democracy, Working Paper, November 2020
Filipova, R., Stefanov, R., 2020, ‘Democracy in Bulgaria: still fragile after 30 years of transition’, Globsec/Center for the Study of Democracy
Filipova, R., 2019, ‘Democracy beyond elections. Government accountability in the media age’, Book review, Democratization, Vol. 27, No 8, pp. 1547-1549
Filipova, R., 2019, ‘Chinese Influence in Bulgaria: Knocking on a Wide Open Door?’, China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE)
Filipova, R., Vladimirov, M., 2019, ‘The Bulgarian Connection’, in Misrule of Law. How the Kremlin Uses Western Institutions to Undermine the West, Free Russia Foundation
Filipova, R., Galev, T., 2018, Russian Influence in the Media Sectors of the Black Sea Countries. Tools, Narratives and Policy Options for Building Resilience, Sofia: Center for the Study of Democracy
You can contact Gergana on gdimova@globalanalytics-bg.org
Dr. Gergana Yankova-Dimova
Dr. Gergana Yankova-Dimova is Executive Director and Co-Founder at the Institute for Global Analytics. She received her PhD in Government from Harvard University and has subsequently been a researcher and
lecturer at the University of Cambridge and the University of Winchester. She is also currently a research associate at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University.
Gergana has published extensively on multiple aspects of democracy and democratization, such as: institutional and informal mechanisms of accountability, protests, media scandals, populist parties, elections. She combines a 20 year career in academia with work experience at the European Commission in Brussels, the World Bank in Washington, DC, the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Bulgaria. She has been a commentator on the Bulgarian National Radio, Euronews, the Huffington Post.
Gergana is the chair of the Anti-Politics Specialist Group of the UK Political Science Association, where she leads a research network of more than 200 specialists. She serves on the editorial board of the journals Democratic Theory and the Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society.
Key publications:
Dimova, G., 2021, Political Uncertainty: A Comparative Exploration, Stuttgart: Ibidem Press
Dimova, G., 2021, ‘Democratic Procedures are not Inherently Democratic‘, Democratic Theory, Vol. 8, No 1
Dimova, G., 2021, ‘Using the Comparative Method in Democratic Theory: A Solution to the “File Drawer Problem”?‘, Comparative Democratic Theory, Vol. 1, No 1
Dimova, G., et al, (ed.), 2020, ‘Russia’s Annexation of Crimea: Legal and Political Aspects, Part 2‘, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, Vol. 6, No 2
Dimova, G., 2019, Democracy beyond Elections: Government Accountability in the Media Age, London: Palgrave Macmillan
Dimova, G., Umland, A., (eds.), 2019, ‘Russia’s Annexation of Crimea: Legal and Political Aspects, Part 1‘, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, Vol. 5, No 1
Dimova, G., 2019, ‘Legal Loopholes and Judicial Debates: Essays on Russia’s 2014 Annexation of Crimea and Its Consequences for International Law‘, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, Vol. 5, No 1
Dimova, G., 2019, ‘Government Responses to Media Allegations: A Comparison between an Established and a Managed Democracy‘, Global Media Journal, Vol. 9, No 2
Dimova, G., 2019, ‘The 2017 Anti-Corruption Protests in Romania: Causes, Mechanisms, Consequences‘, Taiwan Journal of Democracy, Vol. 15, No 1
Dimova, G., 2019, ‘Politicizing Government Accountability: The Case of Protest Network and the Model “Who?” in Bulgaria‘ in Buller, J., et al, (eds.) Comparing Strategies of (De)Politicisation in Europe: Governance, Resistance and Anti-politics, London: Palgrave Macmilian
Dimova, G., 2018, ‘The Instrumentalisation of Mass Media in Electoral Authoritarian Regimes. Evidence from Russia’s Presidential Election Campaigns of 2000 and 2008. Book Review‘, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol.70, No.3
Dimova, G., 2017, ‘Investigating the Trump Scandal: Implications for Democracy and Political Risk‘, Journal of Political Risk, Vol. 5, No 5
Dimova, G., 2016, ‘How the Media Changed Electoral Democracy: Two Causal Paths of Interaction‘, in Geidina, N., Kamalipou, Y., (eds.), Communicating through the Universe, Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Dimova, G., 2016, ‘Property, Predation, and Protection. Piranha Capitalism in Russia and Ukraine‘, Europe Asia Studies, Vol. 68, No 3
Dimova, G., 2014, ‘The New Regulatory Space: Reframing Democratic Governance‘, Journal of Public Policy, Vol. 34, No 3
Dimova, G., 2012, ‘Media Scandals: How Political Scandals Arise‘, Global Media Journal, Vol. 3, No 1