23.06.2025
Between June 16 and 20, 2025, three successful public PhD defenses were held by doctoral candidates from the Department of Economics as part of the PhD program in "Economics and Economic Policy".
On June 16, 2025, Assist. Prof. Dr. Radostina Ivcheva-Georgieva successfully defended her dissertation titled “The Socio-Economic Aspects of the Shadow Economy in Bulgaria”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Stefan Petranov. In her dissertation, Dr. Ivcheva explores the specifics of the shadow economy in the markets for goods, services, and labour in the country. The work examines regional and demographic differences in the propensity to participate in informal practices and analyzes the underlying causes. Members of the academic jury included scholars from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).
Also on June 16, 2025, Dr. Alexandra Korcheva successfully defended her dissertation on the topic “Institutions and the Governance of Common Resources: Sustainability and Efficiency in Managing Commons through the Application of Technological Innovations”, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Teodor Sedlarski. Dr. Korcheva argues that digitalization and institutional frameworks contribute to reducing the harmful impacts on global natural commons. Digitalization influences these impacts both directly—by mitigating aggregate negative externalities—and indirectly—by strengthening the capacity of institutions for good governance and supporting the drivers of economic development. The jury included scholars from BAS, UNWE, and the Agricultural University – Plovdiv.
On June 20, 2025, Dr. Nedko Kosev successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Foreign Trade in Electricity in Southeast Europe – Current Status and Development Prospects”, supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitar Zlatinov. Dr. Kosev's research focuses on the macroeconomic, regulatory, technical, and geopolitical factors influencing cross-border electricity flows in the region. Due to the specific characteristics of electricity as a tradable good, the analysis gives special attention to countries sharing a physical border with Bulgaria. The academic jury included members from BAS, the University of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski,” and the International Business School.
The PhD program "Economics and Economic Policy" aims to train and develop the research and teaching potential of doctoral students, combining academic tradition with the latest achievements in economic theory, applied economic analysis and modeling, and economic policy. The training unit is the Department of Economics, which celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2022. Over the years, the department has established itself as a national leader in teaching both fundamental and specialized courses in general economic theory and conducting applied research with national and regional relevance. In recognition of its quality in education, research, and sustainable development, the Department of Economics was awarded the “Quality Mark” of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in the “Sustainable Development” category in 2024.