INCOME INEQUALITY AND POVERTY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - DNSEU
Project “DNSEU” is implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026 and is financed by European Union funds through the NextGenerationEU instrument.
Research team
Associate Professor Ivan Novak, PhD, graduated in Business Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, in 2008. In 2012, he completed an MBA postgraduate programme in Business Management, and in 2015 he earned his PhD at the same institution. Since 2008, he has been employed at the Department of International Economics, initially as a research associate. In 2017, he was appointed Assistant Professor, and in 2022 he was promoted to Associate Professor, based on meeting the criteria of scientific excellence. He has actively participated in numerous national and international research projects, including: Managerial Tools in the Digital Enterprise (2008); Croatian–Slovenian Project: Management Tools in the EU and Croatia (2008–2010); the EU Tempus project Fostering Entrepreneurship in Higher Education (2008–2011); Research and Innovative Strategies for Smart Specialisation (2013); the LL Leonardo Project – SLIM, in cooperation with Manchester Metropolitan University (2012–2014); as well as more recent projects such as BUFSIE – Framework for Embedding Social and Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutions (2021–) and Sustainable Future in Higher Business Education Inspired by Permaculture Design Principles (2023). At the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, he has been involved in teaching a wide range of courses, including International Economics, International Entrepreneurship, International Business, Technology Transfer, Advanced Forms of International Business, Applied International Economics, and Empirical Finance. He has also taught International Business at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics in Varaždin and at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. He is the programme leader of the postgraduate specialist programme International Business Management. Throughout his academic career, he has published more than 80 scientific papers in academic journals and conference proceedings, of which 24 are indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and 22 in the Scopus database. He is a recipient of the Dean’s Award (2008), the Best Paper Award granted by the International Society for Engineers & Researchers (2018), and the Award of the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb for scientific research productivity (2020), based on total citation counts.
Associate Professor Mile Bošnjak, PhD, graduated in Computer Science from the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, in 2001. He subsequently completed a postgraduate scientific programme in Accounting, Auditing and Finance in 2007, and earned his PhD in Economics in 2014 at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. His professional career developed within the banking and financial sectors, where he worked in risk management and software development. He was appointed to the scientific position of Research Associate in 2016, and subsequently promoted to Senior Research Associate in 2019 and Scientific Advisor in 2022, based on meeting the criteria of scientific excellence. Since 2017, he has been employed at the Department of International Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, initially as Assistant Professor (2017) and later as Associate Professor (2022). At the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, he teaches courses in International Economics and Empirical Finance. In addition, at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Mostar, he serves as course leader and lecturer for Fundamentals of Biostatistics, Medical Informatics, and Advanced Statistics. He has authored and co-authored a university textbook and a university handbook, as well as more than 80 scientific papers published in academic journals and conference proceedings. Of his total scientific output, 45 publications are indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (SSCI – 8, SCI-EXPANDED – 1, ESCI – 28, CPCI – 8), while 29 publications are indexed in the Scopus database. More than ten single-authored and co-authored papers have been published in journals ranked above the median impact factor (WoSCC/Scopus). His research output falls within the field of Economics, Econometrics and Finance according to the Scopus subject classification. In 2018, he received the “Dr. Pero Jurković” Award for outstanding scientific contributions in the field of finance, as well as the Best Paper Award at an international scientific conference in Paris (June 2018) for the paper “Export-Led Growth Hypothesis: The Croatian Case Revisited”, awarded by the International Society for Engineers & Researchers.
Associate Professor Davor Filipović, PhD graduated in Economics from the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb in 2011, defending his doctoral dissertation entitled “Modeling Exogenous and Endogenous Organizational Variables for Successful Corporate Takeovers.” He has been employed at the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb since 2008, where he progressed from Teaching and Research Assistant to Associate Professor at the Department of Organization and Management. His scientific research focuses on strategic management, corporate governance, and business transformation. In 2013, he received the National Award for Young Scientists in the field of Social Sciences. This prestigious award was granted for his outstanding contribution to economic science, particularly based on his book Challenges of Integration Processes: Corporate Growth through Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances, as well as for a series of scientific publications distinguished by originality, scientific contribution, and new insights into economic theory, research methodology, and models of economic phenomena analysis. He has participated in several scientific projects, including: Building Croatian Manufacturing Competitiveness – a project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Croatian manufacturing; Fostering Entrepreneurship in Higher Education (FoSentHE) – an international European Commission project promoting entrepreneurship in higher education; Organization as a Source of Competitive Advantage of Croatian Companies – a project funded by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, focused on researching organizational determinants of competitiveness. In 2022, he was appointed Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia. During his mandate, he participated in initiatives such as the EDIH CROBOHUB++ project, which connects the research community with entrepreneurs and the public sector to foster the digital transformation of the economy.
Prof. Gordana Kordić, PhD is a Full Professor with tenure at the Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1998 and her Master’s degree in 2002 from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. She obtained her PhD in 2006 at the Faculty of Economics, University of Mostar. From 1998 to 2005, she was employed at the Faculty of Economics, University of Mostar. Since 2005, she has been employed at the Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. She was appointed to the academic rank of Full Professor with tenure in 2023. Previously, she was elected to the academic rank of Assistant Professor in 2007, Associate Professor in 2012, and Full Professor in 2017. She teaches several courses within the Department of Finance and serves as a visiting professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has published several dozen scientific and professional papers, both independently and as a co-author, and in 2018 she received the “Dr. Pero Jurković” Award for the best scientific paper in the field of finance. She actively participates in domestic and international scientific conferences and academic events. She serves as a reviewer for scientific journals, conferences, and scholarly monographs. She regularly attends professional and scientific training workshops and has undertaken multiple periods of advanced training abroad. She participated in the European Entrepreneurship Colloquium on Participant-Centered Learning at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA (July 2007), and spent the period from October to December 2007 at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, within the framework of International & Area Studies.
Assistant Professor Marija Jurčević (Medić), PhD, graduated from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, in 2003, earning a degree as a Professor of Mathematics and Physics. She completed a postgraduate specialist programme in 2009 and obtained her PhD in 2019. Since 2008, she has been employed as a research and teaching assistant at the Department of Trade and International Business, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. In 2023, she was appointed to the academic rank of Assistant Professor. She is involved in teaching courses including International Business, Quality Management, Integrated Management Systems, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Procurement Management, and Product Knowledge and Quality Management. She has authored and co-authored 16 scientific publications.