Topics & Supervisors – Școala Doctorală SNSPA

Coordinators and topics

Prof. IORDAN BĂRBULESCU, PhD – Email address: iordanbarbulescu@snspa.ro

European public policies;
European institutions;
Decision-making process in the European Union;
Foreign relations of the European Union;
Diplomacy and negotiations;
European public policies evaluation;
EU-Latin America & the Caribbean relationship.

Prof. DANIEL DĂIANU, PhD – Email address: daniel.daianu@bnrro.ro

International financial system: crisis, institutions, reform of the regulatory and supervisory framework;
EU governance: Euro zone crisis; the Banking Union; the new governance system in the EU; implications for new EU members;
Structural trends in the world economy: economic power redistribution; the EU's place in the global economy;
Demographic pressures;
Robustness and resilience of socio-economic systems: conventional and unconventional shocks (including cyber-attacks);
Climate change and the economic and social environment;
Economy and the pandemic;
Emerging economies and advanced economies;
Joining the Euro area.

Prof. MIHAIL IONESCU, PhD – Email address: ionescu_mihail@yahoo.com

The First Gulf War – 1990: causes and consequences; topics on the issue of Cold War’s ending and the great US-USSR alliance – the debate on NATO expansion, the Western orientation of the USSR/ Russia and its abandonment;
Crisis of the breakup of Yugoslavia – 1992-1999: causes, consequences; the current situation, today’s solutions in the Western Balkans; issues from the 1999 NATO intervention to the emergence of the state of Kosovo or the Dayton Agreement;
September 2001 – the outbreak of the war against terrorism: the beginning of the liberal interventionism era (topics on Peace Keeping missions in various countries, from Afghanistan to Congo and Mali or Ukraine – special case – under various auspices – NATO, UN, OSCE);
US invasion of Iraq – 2003 – and the Great Middle East: hegemonic trends and involved actors (diverse perspectives on this topic);
“Arab Spring": causes, consequences, involved actors, results, waiting horizons of the great powers: topics from the outbreak of the movement in 2010-2011 to the events in Libya, Egypt, Syria and Russia's re-entry in the Mideast in 2015 amid Ukraine's annexation;
Syria – a crisis with multiple files (great power conflicts, Shiite-Sunni clashes, Iran and the Mediterranean, Russia and its search for a global role through the extended presence in the Mediterranean, the US and the Great Middle East, the Arab caliphate versus the war against terrorism, etc.) and historical roots (colonialism, religious clashes, etc.);
EU sovereign debt crisis and the global financial crisis of 2008-2010 – geopolitical dimensions, realignments and the occurrence of power policy; various topics;
The exponential growth of China and the “Thucydides trap": is the hegemonic war possible?
Brexit and the EU's internal crisis – from neoliberalism to illiberalism/ sovereignism, populism and extremism – various topics;
The global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, geopolitical influences, realignments and systemic resettlement – issues from the EU strategic autonomy to the reiteration of Russia's proposal for Greater Europe;
The unipolar moment of the USA and the opposition of multipolarism: the systemic structure and great power strategies (1993-2015) – various topics – new geopolitical ‘cuts’ (the Great Middle East, Western Balkans, the Shiite Crescent, etc.); alignments and realignments and new international institutions and the role of the old ones, etc.

Prof. IOAN MIRCEA PAŞCU, PhD – Email address: impascu@snspa.ro (No new doctoral students are accepted during this admission session)

The impact of structural crises on the international system. Case study: the COVID-19 pandemic and the acceleration of the main trends of global transformation;
Redistribution of power in the international system. From unipolarism to multiple centers of power or a new bipolar system;
The European Union as an international player – from normative power to strategic autonomy;
The decision-making process in foreign and security policies, respectively the common security and defense policy of the EU. Case studies;
Perspectives on the future of the common security and defense policy;
Reconsideration of the European Union's strategic partnerships: challenges and priorities;
Continuity and change in transatlantic relations;
Global competition between the United States and China. Is the “Thucydides' trap" inevitable?
China's relations with the European Union and the European Union member states;
The Eastern Partnership and the EU-Russian Federation relationship;
“Strategic reinsurance" and NATO's role in European and global security;
The political and strategic situation in the Black Sea after the illegal annexation of Crimea. NATO’s and EU’s roles and responsibilities;
The impact of artificial intelligence and digitalization on foreign policy and defense policy;
Vulnerabilities, risks and threats to national security;
Conflicts of the 21st century. Typology and case studies.

Prof. GEORGE MAIOR, PhD – Email address: george.maior@mae.ro

Knowledge systems and processes in the informational era;
Paradigms and perceptions in the study and practice of international relations;
Diplomatic tools and approaches for the 21st century;
Geostrategic faults and bridges: security from regionalism to globalism;
Sources and types of conflict and cooperation in the age of uncertainty;
Digitalizing security: between connectivity, adversity and artificial intelligence;
Energy and the environment in the new global security architecture.

Prof. MIRUNA BUTNARU-TRONCOTĂ, PhD – Email address: miruna.troncota@dri.snspa.ro

Postmodernism and globalization;
Discursive practices of legitimizing political decisions on the international stage;
Analysis of humanitarian interventionism;
Post-conflict reconstruction;
Postcolonialism in international relations;
Theories of European integration;
European policies – especially EU enlargement and foreign policies;
Critical geopolitical theories;
Europeanization from interdisciplinary perspectives;
Discursive communities in the EU and the EU's strategic neighborhood (Eastern Partnership, Western Balkans).

Prof. MIHAI CERCEL, PhD – Email address: mihai.cercel@dri.snspa.ro

Modern diplomacy. The challenges of the twenty-first century;
Diplomatic Service in the Contemporary World;
Theoretical perspectives in modern diplomacy;
Bilateral Diplomatic relations between states;
Multilateral Conference diplomacy;
Modes of practice of diplomacy;
Management of the diplomatic. Gamification and skills development in diplomacy;
Diplomatic negotiations. Diplomatic mediation;
The diplomatic mission in the twenty-firstcentury;
The role of non-state actors in twenty-first century diplomacy.

Assoc. Prof. ANDREI MIROIU, PhD – Email address: andrei.miroiu@dri.snspa.ro

Political theory: Marxism, Anarchism;
theories of international politics: Realism, Marxism;
Empires, Imperialism, Decolonisation;
North Africa and the Sahel: history and security;
Counterinsurgency.

Assoc. Prof. ANTONIA COLIBĂȘANU, PhD – Email address: antonia.colibasanu@dri.snspa.ro

Classical Geopolitics / Classical Geopolitical Theories and the Competition for Strategic Spaces in the 21st Century
The Geoeconomics of Great Power Competition (China–United States–European Union) and Its Impact on the International Order;
States’ International Influence and the Rise of Populism in the Context of Contemporary Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Transformations;
Geoeconomic Transformations of the International System and Economic Populism;
The Geoeconomics of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Investment, Infrastructure, and Strategic Competition;
The Transformation of Global Value Chains and Supply Corridors: Geopolitical Implications of the Reconfiguration of Trade and Investment Flows;
The Conceptual Evolution of Strategic Resources and Its Impact on the Distribution of Power and Global Governance Processes.

Prof. ANDREI ȚĂRANU, PhD – Email address: ataranu@politice.ro

Contemporary Political Theories;
Contemporary Populism and its impact on democracy;
Culture and Politics: The influence of literature, art and music on the formation of political ideologies and behaviors;
Politics and Global Space;
Political Mythology. Language and political semantics;
History of political doctrines and ideologies;
Reconstruction of political institutions;

Prof. ADRIAN POP, PhD – Email address: adrian.pop@snspa.ro

Long economic and politico-military cycles in international relations;
International order and power transition in the 20^th-21^st centuries;
Continuity and change in the geopolitics of the 21^st century;
Established powers, emerging powers, pivotal peripheries, security perceptions and divided neighborhoods;
Balance of power, regional security complexes and supercomplexes and governance in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific region;
(De)securitization and ontological security: case studies;
The interplay between international relations and futures studies in the context of complexity.

Prof. LILIANA POPESCU, PhD – Email address: liliana.popescu@politice.ro

European Union, construction, enlargement, contemporary processes;
Eastern neighbourhood of the EU
Processes of democratization and erosion of democracy;
Gender studies, women studies, feminism;
Global North – Global South relations.

Prof. MIHAI PĂUNESCU, PhD – Email address: mihai.paunescu@politice.ro

Public policies;
Institutionalism in organizational analysis;
Educational policies;
Higher education policies;
Science policy and scientometry;
Electoral systems and political systems;
Public management.

Assoc. Prof. TODOR ARPAD, PhD – Email address: todor.arpad@politice.ro

Environmental policies at national and European Union level;
Sustainable development policies at national and EU level;
Varieties of capitalism;
Taxation policies, environmental taxation;
Constitutional reform and political systems;
Social policies, austerity policies at EU level;
Regional development and decentralization policies;
National systems for the coordination of European affairs;
European Union foreign policy, in particular in the field of combating climate change, gender equality, human rights and peacekeeping;
Implementation and impact analysis of European funds projects.

Assoc. Prof. LAURENTIU ȘTEFAN, PhD – Email address: laur_stefan@yahoo.com

Romanian Politics after 1989;
Selection of Political Elites and Political Careers;
Pathways to Cabinet: Selection of Ministers in Multi-layered Settings;
Governing Coalitions: Genesis, Organisation, Functioning and Termination;
Political Parties;
Political Participation.

Prof. ALINA BÂRGĂOANU, PhD – Email address: abargaoanu@comunicare.ro

Disinformation, propaganda, information warfare;
Technology, security, democracy; the impact of technological changes on the new information eco-system;
Strategic communication;
Regulatory responses to the new information eco-system;
Mass media and the EU public sphere; public opinion and attitudes towards the European Union.

Prof. NICOLETA CORBU, PhD – Email address: nicoleta.corbu@comunicare.ro

Media diet in the new information system;
Political communication in the new media landscape;
From news consumption to digital behavior;
Artificial intelligence in the digital misinformation era;
New directions of analysis in the theories of communication in the age of social media;
Misinformation in the digital age;
Effects of media use in the age of social media.

Prof. PAUL DOBRESCU, PhD – Email address: paul.dobrescu@comunicare.ro (FINAL YEAR OF ACTIVITY)

East-West, the new fracture that adds to the one between Northern and Southern Europe;
The rise of the emerging world and the challenges it raises for stability and cooperation;
New spaces of communication and cultural practices at European level;
Euroscepticism as dominant of the European public space;
The crises that are announced in the post-crisis period;
Economic powers, media powers. The role of technology giants in the communication revolution;
The fall of globalization and the rise of smart connectivity;
Emerging technologies and their role in the new global power structure;
Particularities of communication in the “post-truth" era.

Prof. TUDOR VLAD, PhD – Email address: tvlad@uga.edu (FINAL YEAR OF ACTIVITY)

Criteria for assessing the freedom of press;
The impact of new technologies on the mass media and on the status of communicators;
Assessment of journalism academic programs in Romania;
The role of the press in the democratization process;
Central and Eastern European mass media markets;
The relationship between journalism education;
The media industry in the digital age.

Prof. DIANA-MARIA CISMARU, PhD – Email address: diana.cismaru@comunicare.ro

The impact of artificial intelligence development in organizations and society;
Public relations in the era of artificial intelligence;
Challenges of strategic communication in the hyperconnected society;
Transformations of organizations and management in the post-digital society;
Artificial intelligence, social media and the generation of innovation in organizations;
Reputation management in the post-digital society;
Public relations practices in the global environment and intercultural communication;
Mass self-communication and identity alteration in social media;
Applications of technologies based on artificial intelligence in modern education.

Assoc. Prof. LOREDANA VLADU, PhD – Email address: loredana.vladu@comunicare.ro

Science communication;
Development communication: communication processes, strategies and principles for positive social change;
Identifying, analyzing and combating misleading narratives on scientific topics;
Communicating monitoring and evaluation data and results;
Communication, public trust and governance;
The crisis of trust in governance systems;
Communication and substantiation of public policies;
Communication strategies in policies, programs and projects funded by the European Union;
Disinformation and societal resilience;
Media literacy strategies to combat disinformation;
Pathologies of online communication: the “fake news" phenomenon;
Opinions and attitudes towards the European Union: euroscepticism, europopulism, anti-Europeanism, etc.

Prof. LOREDANA IVAN, PhD – Email address: loredana.ivan@comunicare.ro

Visual ageism: visual representation of older adults in advertising content;
Age and gender stereotypes in AI-based applications;
People’s attitudes towards circularity: re-use, recycle, repair practices;
Digital surveillance, digital technologies and people’s perceptions;
Communication and education for circularity: re-using resources and sustainability practices in public communication and public education.

Prof. VALERIU FRUNZARU, PhD – Email address: valeriu.frunzaru@comunicare.ro
Online identity management;

Managing Online Identity;
Online Social Networks and Social Values;
Advertising in the Digital Society;
Anti-intellectualism and Artificial Intelligence;
Social Dialogue in the Context of Social, Political, and Technological Change

Prof. MĂLINA CIOCEA, PhD – Email address: malina.ciocea@comunicare.ro

The construction of public issues in the current communication landscape;
Mediated communication and mediatization;
Public arenas, actors and deliberative practices;
Emerging cultural practices;
Media discourse on migration;
Cultural memory;
Politics of memory.

Assoc. Prof. CORINA DABA-BUZOIANU, PhD – Email address: corina.buzoianu@comunicare.ro

The role of technology in crisis anticipation and prevention;
The role of technology in the escalation and spread of crises;
Crisis communication in the online environment;
The role of social media in crisis communication;
Communication during disasters;
New models of crisis response.

Assoc. Prof. DAN FLORIN STĂNESCU, PhD – Email address: dan.stanescu@comunicare.ro

Emotional competence and interpersonal communication;
Psychology of communication in VUCA and BANI environments;
Transformational leadership and organizational behaviors;
Emotional labor, stress, burnout, and client communication;
Communication, AI, and the acceptance of emerging technologies
Family communication patterns and family functioning.

Prof. ANI MATEI, PhD – Email address: amatei@snspa.ro (No new doctoral students are accepted during this admission session)

Contemporary paradigms of public management;
“Smart administration" and related processes;
Integrated systemic approaches to public management and economics;
Social innovation and its impact on public sector development;
Specialization and coordination in public sector organizations in the context of collaborative governance. The role of market or network mechanisms;
Adaptive management in the context of increasing administrative complexity. Models and strategies in public administration systems;
Modeling and optimization of administrative structures and decisions

Prof. IRINA ZLĂTESCU, PhD – Email address: irina.zlatescu@administratiepublica.eu (No doctoral students are accepted during this admission session)

Public administration and its role in fulfilling each of the objectives of the 2030 UN Agenda;
The art of crisis governance. Human rights. Public administration and crisis management;
Globalization. Public administration and human rights;
Global governance and the impact of artificial intelligence on human rights;
Culture and the public administration;
Migration. Emigration. Immigration. Immigrant integration;
The state. The society. Religious freedoms;
The role of local communities in promoting and protecting human rights;
The role of the administration in preventing multiple discrimination at national, European and international level;
Environmental management in the service of society.

Prof. EMIL BĂLAN, PhD – Email address: emil_balan2005@yahoo.fr

Rule of law and public administration. The constitutionalisation of public administration.
Public policies implementation and quality of regulation. Standards and tools.;
Global administrative law and standards of good administration;
Bureaucracy, administrative procedure and administrative simplification; Systematisation and codification of the rules governing public administration;
Democratic governance and administrative action of local communities;
Administrative capacity of public organisations: consolidation and development. Field policies;
Ethics and integrity in the exercise of public functions and dignities;
Administrative relations and accountability for the exercise of public power;
Alternative dispute resolution in administration;
Budgetary process and administrative and fiscal litigation.

Prof. DRAGOȘ DINCĂ, PhD – Email address: dragos.dinca@administratiepublica.eu

Sustainable development of public administration;
Reform/development of public services;
Perspectives on the organization of public services;
Sustainable urban development;
Human resources in the public administration – performance evaluation, motivation, improvement of professional training;
Decisional risk in public administration.

Prof. ANDREI GHEORGHIȚĂ, PhD – Email address: andrei.gheorghita@ulbsibiu.ro

Electoral studies: electoral participation; political cleavages and electoral alignments; explanations of the voting decision; personalization of electoral policy; populism; electoral clientelism; election campaign;
Political sociology: social and political cleavages; socialization and political culture; political participation; political parties and interest groups; political elites; social movements; democratization and democratic consolidation;
Social solidarity, social values and capitalism: types of solidarity and mechanisms of solidarity; solidarity and economic crises; social inequalities; labor relations; welfare state; solidarity in the context of the European Union;
Social solidarity and social values: mechanisms of solidarity; solidarity in the context of the European Union; solidarity in crisis situations;
Social movements: globalization and social movements; new social movements; new technologies and social movements; political participation in protest;
Politics, government and the state from the perspective of political sociology: democratization and democratic consolidation; political culture; political organizations.

Prof. REMUS GABRIEL ANGHEL, PhD – Email address: remusgabriel@yahoo.com

Migration and integration – theories, applications, case studies;
Transnationalism and globalization – social processes and societal ties. Case studies in Eastern Europe;
Ethnic minorities in transition: diversity, rights, ethnic inequalities;
International development: actors, policies, contexts;
Contemporary global challenges: migration, nature, inequalities;
Return migration, transnationalism and development;
Anthropology of Eastern Europe.

Prof. AUGUSTIN STOICA, PhD – Email address: astoica@politice.ro

Stratification, mobility and social inequalities – quantitative and qualitative, macro and micro, comparative approaches to phenomena such as class structure, educational and occupational mobility, poverty, social exclusion, inequalities based on gender, ethnicity, unequal opportunities, etc.;
The study of public opinion – quantitative approaches, comparative or focused only on the Romanian case of phenomena such as trust in institutions, voting intentions, value orientations, inter-personal trust, religiosity, reactions/attitudes towards current economic and political changes, etc.;
Sociology of economic life/economic anthropology – sociological/anthropological approaches to economic phenomena;
Sociological approaches to conspiracy theories/conspiracy thinking; its effects on issues such as health (see the case of anti-vaccineists), negative stereotypes about various minority groups, populism, voting, trust in institutions, etc.;
Sociology of post-socialist transformations: quantitative and qualitative, comparative, macro or micro approaches to the transition, with direct reference to topics such as income inequality, elites, winners and losers of the transition, changes in institutional-legal frameworks and their effects;
Historical sociology – with emphasis on recent history (communism) and part of the modern one (18th-19th century), looking in particular at themes such as backwardness, “modernization", the evolution of demographic, social and economic structures, elites, people ordinary people, everyday life, etc.

Prof. FLORINA PÎNZARU, PhD – Email address: florina.pinzaru@facultateademanagement.ro

The impact of digitalization on managerial practice;
Innovation management: research and development, strategies and new business models;
Resource management and development strategies;
Managerial and marketing strategies for creating added value;
Leadership and management of digital native teams;
Business development strategies in the context of international challenges.

Prof. ELENA-MĂDĂLINA VĂTĂMĂNESCU, PhD – Email address: madalina.vatamanescu@facultateademanagement.ro

The role of intellectual capital in organizational development;
Intangible resources and organizational competitiveness;
The role of intellectual capital in the internationalization of businesses;
Integrative managerial models and sustainability of organizations;
Organizational behavior and diagnosis in competitive organizations;
The impact of professional social networks on managerial competitiveness;
B2B management strategies and practices;
Multidimensional models for analyzing organizational and managerial practices.

Prof. ADRIANA GRIGORESCU, PhD – Email address: adriana.grigorescu@snspa.ro

Globalisation – Policies and managerial strategies for institutional alignment;
Global Economy and Governance – inter- and trans-disciplinary studies and analyses;
Green management, renewable resource management, circular economy and sustainable development;
Integrated management: education – business – public sector;
Skills and talent management, implications for the labour market management;
Knowledge and innovation management, new institutional paradigms;
Performance management and business ethics;
Twin transitions and polycrisis: managerial implications.

Prof. ALEXANDRA ZBUCHEA, PhD – Email address: alexandra.zbuchea@facultateademanagement.ro

Social economy and social enterprise management: governance models, sustainability, and social impact creation;
Knowledge management in nonprofit organizations: processes, digitalization, and organizational performance;
Culture and sustainable development: the role of cultural capital in social cohesion and the sustainability transition
Management of cultural organizations: sustainability, innovation, and adaptation in contemporary cultural ecosystems;
Cultural entrepreneurship and creative industries: ecosystems, development models, socio-economic impact, and cultural consumption practices in contemporary society;
Management of responsible organizations: ethical and responsible governance, sustainability, and integrated organizational performance.

Prof. ADRIAN CURAJ, PhD– Email address: adrian.curaj@gmail.com

Transforming research culture through open science and new research assessment approaches, metrics and methods)
Entrepreneurial Discovery Process for Smart Specialisation: addressing sustainable development (and new regional contexts) (S4), diversifying the activities for specialisation, engaging citizens

Prof. LUCIAN CLAUDIU ANGHEL, PhD – Email address: lucian.anghel@facultateademanagement.ro

Correlating Non-Executive Board Members’ Remuneration with the Performance of a Listed Company;
New Trends in the Corporate Governance of Listed Companies;
Investor Relations Management: Assessing the Quality of Financial Communication,
Implementing Sustainable Development Principles by Listed Companies,
Stock Option Plans as a Form of Management Incentivization in Listed Companies,
Value Management in Mergers and Acquisitions: Analyzing Capital Market Reaction to Transaction Announcements of Listed Companies,
The Influence of Macroeconomic Factors on Stock Index Evolution and Implications for Financial Investment Management,
Performance Management in Mergers and Acquisitions: Analyzing Post-Transaction Economic and Financial Indicators of Listed Companies.