Head: Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Zlatinov, PhD
Phone: (+359 2) 971 10 02 (467)
In 2022 the Department of Economics of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" celebrated its 120th anniversary with over 20 events aimed at the students and PhD students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and the academic community at home and abroad. The Department is the successor of an enduring and inspiring work, which began with the establishment of the Department of Political Economy on 21 October 1902 by the decision of the Academic Council of the first University of Sofia within the Faculty of Law, and later as a separate scientific unit. Some of the most prestigious lecturers and researchers of the Department during its century-long history, who have left a lasting mark in the development of national economic theory and practice, are Prof. Georgi Danailov (the first Bulgarian professor of political economy and twice minister), Prof. Simeon Demostenov (anti-Marxist and supporter of the Austrian school), Prof. Ivan Kinkel (the first Bulgarian lecturer in economic history and founder and first president of the Bulgarian Scientific and Sociological Society), Prof. Alexander Tsankov (Chairman of the Bulgarian Parliament and prime-minister of the Republic of Bulgaria), corresponding member Todor Vladigerov (Minister Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria in France), Acad. Jacques Nathan (Rector of the UNWE), Prof. Kiril Grigorov (Rector of the UNWE and long-time Chairman of the Union of Economists in Bulgaria), Acad. Evgeni Mateev (Member of Parliament and member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences), Prof. Lyuben Berov (Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria), Acad. Evgeni Kamenov (Ambassador of Bulgaria to France), Acad. Nikola Popov (Rector of Sofia University) and many others.
After the restoration of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration in 1991, the Department of Economics is among the main structural units and has the unique opportunity to enrich the Bulgarian education in economic sciences with the valuable traditions of Sofia University in the humanities, combining the theoretical and empirical approach in the analysis of economic problems. Great merit in this respect is due to the first Dean of the Faculty, prof. Georgi Chobanov, founder of the direction in German at FEBA. He also supported the establishment of the French student training program initiated by Assoc. Prof. Armenouhi Pirjan. A huge contribution to the overall development of the Department of Economics and Business Administration was also made by its heads - Prof. Nansen Behar (MP and member of the European Economic and Social Committee), Assoc. Prof. Todor Popov, Prof. Stefan Petranov and Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Zlatinov.
The Department is responsible for the teaching of the Bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance, which combines teaching in Bulgarian, English and French in partnership with leading Western universities. Teaching in Economics and Finance is highly interdisciplinary, integrating economic, financial, managerial and legal disciplines and so-called STEM disciplines - applied mathematics, statistics, computer, and information technologies. The balanced teaching of classical and modern theoretical and empirical models and concepts develops practically oriented qualities in students.
The Master's programs that the Department of Economics is currently developing - Business Economics, Economics and Law, Economics and Finance and Customs and Tax Control - provide fundamental training in general economic theory as well as in-depth specialized knowledge in the application of economic analysis to law, tax and customs policy at national and global levels, combining management methods and economic and financial approaches to analyze the activities of modern corporate structures. The Department provides the teaching of Master's courses in Economic Policy, Economic Aspects of Law, Applied Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting, Monetary Policy Analysis, Investment Theory and Management, Corporate Finance and Investment, Personal Finance, Circular Economy and Sustainable Development, Corporate Economics, Digitalization of Customs Activities, Customs Regimes and Procedures, etc.
The PhD program in Economics and Economic Policy (with training in Bulgarian and in a foreign language) is aimed at training and developing the research and teaching potential of PhD students, while adhering to the traditions and the latest achievements in the field of economic theory, applied economic analysis and economic modelling, including in the field of economic policy. The PhD program prepares highly qualified researchers with a solid theoretical and practical background, with opportunities to enrich and broaden their research skills in view of current scientific advances in the field of fundamental economic theory and its applications in various spheres of public life. Successful PhD students of the Department of Economics and Business Administration continue their development in the structures of the European Central Bank, Eurostat, the Bulgarian National Bank, academia and the corporate sphere.
For many years the Department has had a scientific seminar dedicated to the problems of economic development in Bulgaria. It is of interest to the lecturers and students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, as well as to scholars from other institutions and representatives of practice.
Lecturers of the department are involved in a number of research projects, including in recent years: Challenges for the Bulgarian Economy on its Way to membership in the Eurozone, the Bulgarian Economy in the First Year of the Covid-19 Pandemic - Sectoral Analyses and Immediate Macroeconomic Effects; Application of the Monetary Method to Estimate the Size of the Shadow Economy in Bulgaria; Investigation of the Relationships between the Size of the Shadow Economy and Economic Development Indicators; Characteristics of the Shadow Economy in Bulgaria Based on a Survey; Shaping and developing high-performing firms using a digital transformation strategy; Cultural metrics, economic behaviour, financial crises and systemic risk, etc.
PhD students in Department of Economics by 2024
Alexander Krastev , research field Corporate Finance and Capital Market in Bulgaria, Supervisor Prof. Stefan Petranov, PhD
Dilyana Slavova , research field EU Trade Policy and Sustainable Development, Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Zlatinov, PhD
Iliya Lingorski , research field Economic Convergence in Central and East Europe, Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Stela Raleva, PhD
Lidiya Kabatliyska-Andonova , research field Economic Openness and Economic Growth, Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Stela Raleva, PhD
Nedko Kosev , research field International Trade in Electricity, Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Zlatinov, PhD
Nino Avreyski , research field Economic Transformation under Green Transition, Supervisor Prof. Vania Ivanova, PhD
Radostina Ivcheva-Georgieva , research field Informal Economy, Supervisor Prof. Stefan Petranov, PhD
Svetoslava Georgieva , research field Macroeconomic impact of implementing EU funded financial instruments, Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Zlatinov, PhD
Veselina Shalamanova , research field Economic History and Development, Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Sonia Georgieva, PhD