Staff & Boards
Staff
Agon Maliqi
Executive Director
Visar Ymeri has experience in political leadership, governance and media. As a former politician and experienced policymaker, he previously served as Vice President of the Social Democratic Party and as President of the Vetëvendosje! Movement, playing a key role in shaping Kosovo’s political scene since 2005. During his three mandates as a member of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Visar Ymeri has contributed to important legislative initiatives, particularly in the areas of European integration and economic development. Beyond politics, Ymeri’s experience extends to public relations and journalism, where he served as Public Relations Officer at the Kosovo Pension Savings Fund and as Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Kohavision. He studied Sociology at the University of Prishtina and then pursued studies in the fields of Media, Politics, Literature and Philosophy in London. His career reflects a deep commitment to democratic governance, social justice, and public debate.
Drenusha Canolli
Program Director
Drenusha Canolli has experience in investigative journalism, project management and public policy research. She previously worked as an investigative journalist at Insajderi (2016–2020), where she was recognized for her reporting on political and social issues, including an award-winning environmental investigation. From 2020 to 2023, Drenusha Canolli managed projects on disinformation, youth advocacy and women’s empowerment at the Democracy for Development Institute (D4D), while during 2023–2024 she was part of The Balkan Forum, where she led initiatives on the circular economy, the green agenda and environmental policies. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology. Her areas of research and writing include environmental justice, cultural heritage, disinformation and labor rights.
Besëarta Spanca
Financial Director
Besëarta Spanca is a dedicated finance and risk management professional with strong academic and practical experience. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship at Staffordshire University, and then won a prestigious scholarship to pursue her master’s degree in Finance and Risk Management at the University of Sheffield. Since July 2021, Besëarta Spanca has been serving as the Director of Finance at Musine Kokalari Institute, demonstrating exceptional expertise, strategic leadership and unwavering commitment to financial integrity and the development of the institution.
Belgzim Kamberi
Project Manager
Belgzim Kamberi has experience in the fields of social sciences, journalism, publicism, literary translation and human rights advocacy. Over the years, he has contributed to various international and local media, as well as being active in the civil society of the region. In addition to other engagements at the Institute, he directs the Albanian edition of Le Monde Diplomatique and coordinates the organization of the annual Musine Kokalari Academy for Public and Social Policy. Belgzim Kamberi graduated in French Language & Literature from the University of Prishtina and has a master’s degree in Political Sociology from the University of Paris VIII (France).
Manushaqe Latifi
Finance and Administration Officer
Manushaqe Latifi is a dedicated finance specialist with extensive experience in accounting and financial management. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the Public University of Gjilan “Kadri Zeka” and master’s degree at the University of Prishtina. She is recently certified in QuickBooks and successfully combines academic knowledge with practical experience in accounting, demonstrating her ability to contribute to financial operations and administration. Since April 2024, she has been working as a Finance and Administration Officer at the Institute for Social Policy “Musine Kokalari”, building on her previous experience as a project assistant and local consultant for finance and administration at the GIZ Kosovo organization.
Executive Board
Belgzim Kamberi
Member
Belgzim Kamberi has experience in the fields of social sciences, journalism, publicism, literary translation and human rights advocacy. Over the years, he has contributed to various international and local media, as well as being active in the civil society of the region. In addition to other commitments at the Musine Kokalari Institute for Social Policy, he directs the Albanian edition of Le Monde Diplomatique and coordinates the organization of the annual Musine Kokalari Academy for Public and Social Policy. Belgzim Kamberi graduated in French Language & Literature from the University of Prishtina and has a master’s degree in Political Sociology from the University of Paris VIII (France).
Adelina Hasani
Member
Adelina Hasani is a senior researcher at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS). She completed her studies at the Faculty of Political Science at Ankara University and her master’s degree in Human Rights and Democracy in Development for South-Eastern Europe at the University of Sarajevo and the University of Bologna (ERMA program). She defended her doctorate in International Relations in Ankara. Adelina Hasani has published several studies on gender, nationalism and Russian foreign policy and worked as an external advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo during its efforts for membership in the Council of Europe.
Artan Mustafa
Member
Artan Mustafa, PhD, is a researcher with a focus on social policy, sustainable social development, and the social basis of policy. He serves as a national expert on pensions and social inclusion at the European Social Policy Analysis Network (ESPAN). During the academic year 2024/5, he was a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI). Artan Mustafa has lectured at the University of Vienna and UBT College.
Jelena Savić
Member
Jelena Savić is a PhD candidate at Uppsala University in Sweden, at the Center for Gender Research.
She has completed postgraduate studies in philosophy and andragogy. Jelena Savić researches dehumanization in the intersection of racism, sexism and speciesism, while in her most recent works she focuses on the concept of “whiteness” in the European context, exploring relations of power, identity and social inequalities. She is (co)author of several studies and research publications that combine critical theory, ethics and social philosophy.
Agon Maliqi
Member
Agon Maliqi is a policy analyst, social activist and publicist. He co-founded the Albanian platform for analysis and opinions “Sbunker”, which promotes new voices from academia and civil society. Agon Maliqi completed his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and European Studies at the American University in Bulgaria and later received his master’s degree in International Development Policy at Duke University in the USA in 2012. He currently works as an independent advisor and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council – Europe Center, contributing to issues of democracy, security and media in the Balkans.
Advisory Board
Shkëlzen Maliqi
Member
Shkëlzen Maliqi is a philosopher, essayist and publicist. He studied philosophy at the University of Zagreb and was shaped by contemporary traditions of critical thought and cultural theories. In his career, he has worked as a researcher, cultural critic and political analyst, contributing to think tanks, civil society organizations and international platforms for dialogue and democratic development.
In public life, Maliqi was engaged in the democratization processes of Kosovo during the 1990s, promoting dialogue between communities and pluralistic political alternatives. He remains known for his critical thinking, analyses of identity and politics in the Balkans, as well as for his role in fostering public debate, pluralism and strengthening civil society in Kosovo.
Donika Emini
Member
Filip Balunović është politolog dhe teoricient politik. Ai ka përfunduar doktoraturën (PhD) në shkenca politike në Universitetin e Firencës në Itali, ndërsa studimet master në Universitetin e Bolonjës. Puna e tij kërkimore fokusohet në shtetësinë, identitetet, qytetarinë dhe teorinë politike bashkëkohore.
Filip Balunović është autor i artikujve akademikë, analizave dhe librave mbi politikën kritike, demokracinë, nacionalizmin dhe strukturat e pushtetit në Evropën Juglindore. Kërkimi i tij ndërthur teorinë politike me qasje sociologjike dhe historike, duke shqyrtuar format e përfaqësimit politik në kontekste tranzicioni dhe konflikti. Filip Balunović kontribuon rregullisht në debate akademike dhe publike mbi rolin e shtetit, demokracinë dhe transformimet shoqërore.
Ivan Vejvoda
Member
Ivan Vejvoda is a renowned political scientist, diplomat and analyst of European and regional politics, with a long career in promoting democracy, European integration and international cooperation in the Balkans. He currently directs the “Europe’s Futures” program at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM) in Vienna. He previously served as Director for the Western Balkans and Senior Vice President at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where he led programs on democratic transition and Euro-Atlantic integration in the region.
He graduated from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and completed postgraduate studies in philosophy at the University of Belgrade, while he has lectured as a visiting professor at various European and American universities. Ivan Vejvoda is the author of numerous studies and analyses on Europe, the Balkans, security and global politics, and remains one of the most respected voices in international relations in the region.
Paul Stubbs
Member
Paul Stubbs is a UK-born sociologist who has lived and worked in Croatia and the wider South-Eastern European region since 1993. He has an extensive academic and research career in the fields of social policy, sociology of transition and comparative regional studies. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Economics in Zagreb, where his research focuses on international actors and the political economy of social welfare, policy translation and transfer, social movements, welfare state policies and the legacy of Yugoslav socialism in the contemporary context. Paul Stubbs collaborates with academic institutions and international organisations in the Balkans, Europe and beyond, contributing to important projects on poverty, inequality, social mobilization and social justice.
Fatos Lubonja
Member
Fatos Lubonja is a writer, publicist and publisher, as well as editor of the quarterly magazine “Përpjekja”. He served 17 years in prison during the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha, mainly in Spaç, the most notorious camp for political prisoners in Albania. Lubonja is the author of novels, essays and studies that deal with national myths, nationalism, democratic transition and mechanisms of power in post-dictatorial societies. He has published scientific and journalistic articles in international magazines and platforms, becoming one of the most articulate voices of social criticism in the region. For his contribution to literature, freedom of expression and democracy, Fatos Lubonja has been recognized with important international awards.
Nathalie Clayer
Member
Nathalie Clayer is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) and a researcher at the Centre d’études turques, ottomanes, balkaniques et centrasiatiques (CETOBaC) in Paris. She is one of the most internationally renowned scholars in the field of Ottoman and post-Ottoman history. Her research focuses on religion and popular religiosity, nationalism, collective identities and state-building processes in the Balkans and the wider Ottoman space. Nathalie Clayer has published a large number of studies, monographs and scientific articles, and is considered an important authority in the analysis of social, political and cultural transformations in Southeast Europe from the 19th century to the present day.
Gëzim Krasniqi
Member
Gëzim Krasniqi is a lecturer in Nationalism and Political Sociology and director of the Nationalism Studies Programme at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He is a renowned scholar in the field of nationalism, citizenship, identity politics and state-building processes in Southeastern Europe and beyond. Gëzim Krasniqi has published widely on issues of statehood, nationality, ethnic minorities and political integration, contributing to international academic journals and high-profile research projects. He has lectured and conducted research at several European and transatlantic universities, becoming one of the leading scholars of his generation in the study of nationalism.
Ermira Danaj
Member
Ermira Danaj holds a PhD in humanities and social sciences from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Since 2002, she has authored and co-authored a number of research reports, books, articles and academic contributions in the field of gender and feminist studies, with a particular focus on Albania and the Balkans.
Her research addresses key issues such as gender in the communist and post-communist period, feminist activism in post-socialist contexts, as well as gender analysis of migration, the labor market and social transformations. Ermira Danaj has collaborated with local and international research institutions and is considered one of the leading voices in feminist studies in the region.
External Collaborators
Shkëlzen Maliqi
Member
Shkëlzen Maliqi is a philosopher, essayist and publicist. He studied philosophy at the University of Zagreb and was shaped by contemporary traditions of critical thought and cultural theories. In his career, he has worked as a researcher, cultural critic and political analyst, contributing to think tanks, civil society organizations and international platforms for dialogue and democratic development.
In public life, Maliqi was engaged in the democratization processes of Kosovo during the 1990s, promoting dialogue between communities and pluralistic political alternatives. He remains known for his critical thinking, analyses of identity and politics in the Balkans, as well as for his role in fostering public debate, pluralism and strengthening civil society in Kosovo.
Donika Emini
Member
Filip Balunović është politolog dhe teoricient politik. Ai ka përfunduar doktoraturën (PhD) në shkenca politike në Universitetin e Firencës në Itali, ndërsa studimet master në Universitetin e Bolonjës. Puna e tij kërkimore fokusohet në shtetësinë, identitetet, qytetarinë dhe teorinë politike bashkëkohore.
Filip Balunović është autor i artikujve akademikë, analizave dhe librave mbi politikën kritike, demokracinë, nacionalizmin dhe strukturat e pushtetit në Evropën Juglindore. Kërkimi i tij ndërthur teorinë politike me qasje sociologjike dhe historike, duke shqyrtuar format e përfaqësimit politik në kontekste tranzicioni dhe konflikti. Filip Balunović kontribuon rregullisht në debate akademike dhe publike mbi rolin e shtetit, demokracinë dhe transformimet shoqërore.
Ivan Vejvoda
Member
Ivan Vejvoda is a renowned political scientist, diplomat and analyst of European and regional politics, with a long career in promoting democracy, European integration and international cooperation in the Balkans. He currently directs the “Europe’s Futures” program at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM) in Vienna. He previously served as Director for the Western Balkans and Senior Vice President at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where he led programs on democratic transition and Euro-Atlantic integration in the region.
He graduated from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and completed postgraduate studies in philosophy at the University of Belgrade, while he has lectured as a visiting professor at various European and American universities. Ivan Vejvoda is the author of numerous studies and analyses on Europe, the Balkans, security and global politics, and remains one of the most respected voices in international relations in the region.
Paul Stubbs
Member
Paul Stubbs is a UK-born sociologist who has lived and worked in Croatia and the wider South-Eastern European region since 1993. He has an extensive academic and research career in the fields of social policy, sociology of transition and comparative regional studies. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Economics in Zagreb, where his research focuses on international actors and the political economy of social welfare, policy translation and transfer, social movements, welfare state policies and the legacy of Yugoslav socialism in the contemporary context. Paul Stubbs collaborates with academic institutions and international organisations in the Balkans, Europe and beyond, contributing to important projects on poverty, inequality, social mobilization and social justice.
Fatos Lubonja
Member
Fatos Lubonja is a writer, publicist and publisher, as well as editor of the quarterly magazine “Përpjekja”. He served 17 years in prison during the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha, mainly in Spaç, the most notorious camp for political prisoners in Albania. Lubonja is the author of novels, essays and studies that deal with national myths, nationalism, democratic transition and mechanisms of power in post-dictatorial societies. He has published scientific and journalistic articles in international magazines and platforms, becoming one of the most articulate voices of social criticism in the region. For his contribution to literature, freedom of expression and democracy, Fatos Lubonja has been recognized with important international awards.
Nathalie Clayer
Member
Nathalie Clayer is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) and a researcher at the Centre d’études turques, ottomanes, balkaniques et centrasiatiques (CETOBaC) in Paris. She is one of the most internationally renowned scholars in the field of Ottoman and post-Ottoman history. Her research focuses on religion and popular religiosity, nationalism, collective identities and state-building processes in the Balkans and the wider Ottoman space. Nathalie Clayer has published a large number of studies, monographs and scientific articles, and is considered an important authority in the analysis of social, political and cultural transformations in Southeast Europe from the 19th century to the present day.
Gëzim Krasniqi
Member
Gëzim Krasniqi is a lecturer in Nationalism and Political Sociology and director of the Nationalism Studies Programme at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He is a renowned scholar in the field of nationalism, citizenship, identity politics and state-building processes in Southeastern Europe and beyond. Gëzim Krasniqi has published widely on issues of statehood, nationality, ethnic minorities and political integration, contributing to international academic journals and high-profile research projects. He has lectured and conducted research at several European and transatlantic universities, becoming one of the leading scholars of his generation in the study of nationalism.
Ermira Danaj
Member
Ermira Danaj holds a PhD in humanities and social sciences from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Since 2002, she has authored and co-authored a number of research reports, books, articles and academic contributions in the field of gender and feminist studies, with a particular focus on Albania and the Balkans.
Her research addresses key issues such as gender in the communist and post-communist period, feminist activism in post-socialist contexts, as well as gender analysis of migration, the labor market and social transformations. Ermira Danaj has collaborated with local and international research institutions and is considered one of the leading voices in feminist studies in the region.
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