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Politics in a Democracy Under Stress

A summer school in Bulgaria.

2023 Schedule

About the program

The Politics in a Democracy Under Stress Summer School is organized by the Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship (CIDC) at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) in cooperation with the Democracy and Governance Program (DG) at Georgetown University (GU).

The aim of this week-long experience is to promote a discussion on the current challenges to democratic governments by looking at Bulgaria, a democracy under stress.

By introducing international participants to representatives from academia, civil society, and the public and private sectors in Bulgaria, we hope to

  • raise awareness about some of the key challenges to young democracies in Eastern Europe through the case study of Bulgaria within the Balkan region
  • foster dialogue between participants
  • enable better understanding about the threats and challenges to the Bulgarian democracy and highlight existing resilience efforts to strengthen these
Themes

Themes

The Politics in a Democracy Under Stress Summer School will look at the main trends in Bulgaria’s democratic development over the last 30 years, as well as provide an overview of the key problems facing a young democracy. We will also see possible solutions by exploring success stories and lessons learnt from Bulgaria’s democratic progress.

Participants

Participants

The Politics in a Democracy Under Stress Summer School is open to a diverse array of participants. We specifically invite the following:

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Speakers

Prof. Markus Wien team members

Prof. Markus Wien

Professor of History and Civilization, American University in Bulgaria

Prof. Ivelin Sardamov team members

Prof. Ivelin Sardamov

Professor of Politics, American University in Bulgaria

Prof. Robert Phillips Jr. team members

Prof. Robert Phillips Jr.

Professor of Politics, American University in Bulgaria

Iva Lazarova team members

Iva Lazarova

Executive Director, Institute for Public Environment Development (IPED)

Diana Eftimova team members

Diana Eftimova

Chair of the Board, Institute for Public Environment Development

Dr. Elton Skendaj (’00) team members

Dr. Elton Skendaj (’00)

Director of MA in Democracy and Governance, Georgetown University

Prof. Jean Crombois team members

Prof. Jean Crombois

Professor of European Studies, American University in Bulgaria

Rossen Bossev team members

Rossen Bossev

Journalist

Lectures & Networking

  • Arrival at Sofia International Airport.

    Pickup by AUBG minivans.

    Arrival at AUBG campus in Blagoevgrad.

  • 9:00-10:30
    Lecture: Brief history of Bulgaria’s transition with Prof. Markus Wien

    10:30-10:45
    Coffee break

    10:45 – 12:00
    Lecture: Overview of political culture & structure with Prof. Ivelin Sardamov

    12:00-12:30
    Workshop: BG politics, political system & politicians with Prof. Robert Phillips

    12:30-13:30
    Lunch

    13:30-15:00
    Discussion: The Election process in Bulgaria: Twisting the election system for personal gains with Iva Lazarova and Diana Eftimova, Institute for Public Environment Development

    15:00-16:15
    Simulation: Try to form a government with Prof. Robert Phillips;

    16:15-16:45
    Coffee break

    16:45-17:45
    Reflection: Bulgaria's transition within the Balkan context with Prof. Phillips and Prof. Skendaj

    19:00
    Dinner

  • 9:00-10:30
    Lecture: EUropeanisation with Prof. Jean Crombois

    10:30-10:45
    Coffee break

    10:45-12:00
    Lecture: Rule of Law reforms with Rossen Bossev, journalist

    12:00-13:30
    Lunch with AUBG Provost J.D. Mininger

    13:30-14:30
    Lecture: A Game of Reforms: the (Im)possibility of Reforming the Bulgarian System of Justice with Prof. Dimitar Gochev, Sofia University

    14:30-15:00
    Coffee break

    15:00-16:45
    Discussion: A conversation with Nadejda Iordanova, Minister of Justice (2022), Member of the Bulgarian Parliament

    16:45-17:45
    Reflection: Discussion of rule of law challenges

    19:00
    Dinner

  • 9:30-11:00
    Panel: Media environment with Boryana Dzhambazova and Maria Cheresheva, Association of European Journalists

    11:00-11:15
    Coffee break

    11:15–12:45
    Panel: The danger of SLAPP cases with Maria Cheresheva and Alexandar Kashumov, Access to Information Programme, attorney-at-law

    12:45-13:45
    Lunch

    13:45-15:15
    Discussion: Disinformation Setting in Bulgaria with Maria Yurukova, European Studies Department, Sofia University

    15:15-15:45
    Break

    15:45-17:00
    Lecture: Russian Disinformation and hybrid warfare with Center for the Study of Democracy

    17:00-17:45
    Workshop: Countering disinformation with Tihomira Doncheva, CIDC Director

    19:30
    Dinner with AUBG President David Evans

  • 9:00-10:15
    Discussion: The civil society environment in Bulgaria. A conversation with America for Bulgaria Foundation

    10:15-12:15
    Coffee hour. Meet & greet with Civil Society Organizations: o Politics and foreign affairs with Rumena Filipova, Institute for Global Analytics o Black Book of Public Spending, Mila Moshelova, Friedrich Naumann Foundation o Government and civil society dialogue, Council for Civil Society Development o Social Activism and Civic Advocacy, Bulgarian Center for Not-For-Profit Law

    12:15-13:00
    Lunch

    13:00-14:15
    Lecture: The macroeconomics picture in Bulgaria with Svetla Kostadinova, Institute for Market Economics

    14:15-14:30
    Coffee break

    14:30-15:45
    Discussion: The Flagship Corruption Investigations and the Ineffectiveness of the Legal System with Nikolay Staykov, Anti Corruption Fund

    14:45-15:00
    Break

    15:45-16:45
    Workshop: Data for Good with Nikola Tulechki

    16:45-17:30
    Discussion: An Introduction to Chalga with Prof. Bobby Phillips and Prof. Olga Nikolova

    19:00
    Dinner

  • 8:30-10:30
    Travel to Sofia

    11:00-12:00
    Tour of Ministry of Justice and meeting with Minister of Justice, Krum Zarkov

    12:00-13:30
    Tour of Parliament

    13:30-14:30
    Lunch

    15:00-16:45
    Coffee Hour: Meet and greet with businesses at Campus X

    16:45-17:00
    Reflection: Can a vibrant civil society and flourishing entrepreneurial spirit change the narrative about Bulgaria?

    18:30
    Dinner with representatives from the U.S. Embassy

    22:00
    Pub Crawl

  • 10:00 - 11:00
    Reflection with Vladimir Shopov, Visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

    11:00-12:00
    Lunch

    12:00-17:30
    Communist Tour and visit to the Red Flat

    19:30-21:30
    Dinner with AUBG Provost J.D. Mininger

  • Travelling day