MARIA SPIROVA
Curriculum Vita

Permanent Address    
2 B Vezhen St.   
Pleven 5800, Bulgaria
Tel: (359 64) 34034 
e-mail: spirova@policy.hu


Current Address:
Department of Political Science,
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee,
PO Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201,
 tel: (414) 229 4221
fax: (414) 229 5021
 e-mail: spirova@uwm.edu

Citizenship: Bulgarian

Education:
Ph.D. in Political Science, graduation expected June 2004, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Preliminary examinations taken in Comparative Politics and International Relations; minor concentration: Theory and Methodology
    Dissertation Title: Political Parties in Post-communist Systems: Formation, Persistence and Change
Abstract: Set in the endogenous institutions tradition, the dissertation brings together theoretical insights and extensive empirical work from Bulgaria and Hungary to study the process of party development, paying special attention to the way in which legal, institutional and party factors constrain the behavior of individual political parties.
M.A. in Southeast European Studies, Central European University (CEU), Budapest, 1998.
M.A. in Political Science, Central European University (CEU), Budapest, 1997, graduation with honors.
B.A. in International Relations & Political Science and History, American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), 1996, graduation cum laude.

Summer and Short-term Programs:
APSA Short Course “Tools for Comparative Research on Parties: The Study of Political Parties in Western Europe”. August, 2003.
Visiting researcher, European University Institute, Florence, Italy, Spring 2003.
Seminars in Public Policy, OSI, Budapest, Hungary, March and June 2003.
Visiting doctoral student, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria, Fall 2002.
Institute for Strengthening Democracy, Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, summer program for junior faculty “Democracy in Multi-ethnic Societies,” Summer 1999.
Fund for American Studies and Georgetown University, Washington D.C., “Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic System,” Summer 1996

Professional Experience:
Adjunct Instructor, UWM Political Science Department, Summer 2000 and Summer 2003.
Teaching Assistant, UWM Political Science Department, 1998-1999, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004
Associate Editor, Southeast European Politics Online http://www.seep.ceu.hu, 2000- current
Political Science Tutor, UWM Tutoring Center, 2001.
Researcher, the Balkan Minorities Project, Minority Rights Group – Greece, 1998- 2000
Editorial assistant, AcEvents, Association for the Study of Nationalities, 1999
Researcher, International Research Project Democratization in Eastern Europe, University of Melbourne, Australia, 1996 – 1998
Intern, Americans for Tax Reform, Washington DC, Summer 1996.
Data Analyst, US Embassy, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1994-1996

Courses Taught:
Introduction to Political Science
Politics of the World’s Nations
Social Data Analysis

Research Interests:
Democratic Institutions
Post-communist politics
Minority Policy

Research Tools:
Quantitative:    Basic and Advanced Statistical Techniques
Languages:    Bulgarian (native); English (GRE Verbal Score 640, TOEFL 670); Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian (certificate for Level II from Azbukum Serbian Language Program, Novi Sad), Macedonian (good), Russian (good), French (good), Italian (basic)

Field Work Experience:
Interviews with leaders of the major political parties in Bulgaria and Hungary; observation and participation in several party events in Bulgaria, 2002-2003.
Interviews with leaders of the Roma community in Bulgaria, 2003.
Organization of focus groups and personal interviews with Bulgarian citizens, 1996-1997.

Publications:
“Electoral Rules and the Political Representation of Ethnic Minorities: Evidence from Bulgaria and Romania,” Global Review of Ethnopolitics, under review.
“Bulgarian Political Parties in Comparative Perspectives: Trends in Organizational Development.” Party Politics, under review, resubmitted after revisions.
“‘Losers’ or Believers: Support for the BSP in Bulgaria.” Communist and Post-communist Studies, under review.
“Roma Political Participation in Bulgaria: the Role of the State.”(in Bulgarian) Gitan 2003 (5).
“Bulgaria and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia (1991-1999): Between Ethnic Affinity and International Commitment,” in Albrecht Schnabel, ed. South East European Security: Threats, Responses, Challenges. Huntington, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2002.
The Break-Up of Yugoslavia in the Bulgarian Media (in Bulgarian), Balkanistic Forum, Issue 1-2 1996, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

Paper Presentations:
The European Accession Process and the Political Participation of Minorities in Southeastern Europe, paper accepted for presentation 2004 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 29-31, 2004.
Political Representation of Ethnic Minorities: Electoral Institutions and Ethnic Parties in Eastern Europe. Paper presented at Midwest Political Science Association Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 15-18, 2004.
Party Organization and Party Development in Post-Communist Systems: Bulgarian Parties in Comparative Perspective. Paper presented at the APSA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, August 28-31, 2003.
Formation of Political Parties in Post-communist Systems: the Role of Organizational Development.  Paper presented at 19th IPSA World Congress, Durban, South Africa, June 27-31, 2003.
Consolidating the Post-communist Party Systems: Political Parties in Bulgaria. Paper presented at the 5th Annual Kokkalis Workshop, Harvard University, February 7, 2003.
Legal Foundations of Individual Rights: Judicial Reform and Support for Democracy in Russia. (with Tatyana Karaman and Eric Browne). Poster presented at the 2002 APSA Annual Meeting, Boston, MA August 29 – September 2, 2002.
Support for the BSP and Democratization in Bulgaria, paper presented at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Conference, Belgrade, Serbia, April 18-22, 2002.
Women Empowerment in Eastern Europe: Attitudinal and Institutional Barriers. Paper presented at the SWPSA, New Orleans, March 25-31, 2001.
‘Losers’ or Believers: Support for the BSP in Bulgaria. Poster presented at the 2001 APSA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, August 28- September 2, 2001.
Roma in Eastern Europe: the Scapegoat of Reform, poster presented at the APSA Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., August 30 – September 3, 2000.
The Bulgarian Media and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia (1991-1999), poster presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 27-30, 2000.
Discrimination against Roma Minorities in Eastern Europe: an Attempt at Quantitative Analysis of its Determinants, paper presented at the 1999 annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Nationalities, April 12-15, Columbia University.
The Bulgarian Independent Media, paper presented at the 1997 annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Nationalities, (ASN), April 1997, Columbia University.

Other Professional Service:
Invited Discussant, “Electoral Processes in South East Europe” Workshop, Belgrade, Serbia, January 23-24, 2004.
Invited Discussant, Panel on Parties and Elections, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Conference, Belgrade, Serbia, April 18-22, 2002.

Scholarships and Grants Awarded:
International Policy Fellowship, OSI- Budapest, Hungary, 2003.
UWM Graduate School Fellowship and Dissertation Fellowship, 1999-200 (declined) and 2001-2003
APSA Travel Grants, 1999 and 2003
Soros Supplementary Grant for studies at UWM, 2000-2002
UWM Graduate School Travel Grants, 2000 and 2002
UWM Preparing Future Faculty Grant, Spring 2000   
FLAS fellowship, Department of Education, for summer language study, Summer 2000
Research Grant, Center for International Studies, UWM, 1999-2000
Open Society Foundation scholarship for studies at CEU, 1996-1998

Awards and Honors:
Member of Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honor Society
UWM Chancellor’s Award, 2003

Administrative and Leadership Experience:
Representative, UWM Travel Grant Committee, 2003.
President, Political Science Graduate Students Association, 1999-2001.
Member, AUBG Student Senate, 1995-1996.

References:

Dr. Eric Browne, Professor
Department of Political Science
Bolton Hall 674
UWM
POBox 413
Milwaukee, WI
USA
Tel: (414) 229 4221
Fax: (414) 299 5021
e-mail: browne@uwm.edu

Dr. Howard Handelman, Chair
Department of Political Science
Bolton Hall 674
UWM
POBox 413
Milwaukee, WI
USA
Tel: (414) 229 4221
Fax: (414) 299 5021
e-mail: handelma@uwm.edu

Dr. Shale Horowitz, Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
Bolton Hall 674
UWM
POBox 413
Milwaukee, WI
USA
Tel: (414) 229 4221
Fax: (414) 299 5021
e-mail: shale@uwm.edu

Dr. Georg Vanberg, Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB# 3265 Hamilton Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3265
USA
Phone: (919) 962-0440
Fax: (919) 962-0432
e-mail: gvanberg@unc.edu