STATEME NT

from Prof. François Bafoil,

Centre for Studies in International Relations,

Institute of Political Sciences, Paris, France

About the work and publications of Dr.Vassil Nikolaev Kirov,member of the competition for the academic position „Associate Professor”, announced by the Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for the needs of the Department „Knowledge Society: science, education and innovations”,Code Number 05.11.01, Sociology, State gazette, n89 /11.11.2011

  1. General presentation of the professional achievements

Dr. Vassil Kirov in the only applicant for the announced competition for the academic position „Associate Professor”, announced by the Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (for the needs of the Department „Knowledge Society: science, education and innovations”, Code Number 05.11.01, Sociology, State gazette, n89 /11.11.2011). The profile of the applicant corresponds to the announce position – he is presenting achievements in the domain of the sociological research, the

Dr. Vassil Kirov has very good professional competence. Sociologist, trained in the tradition of the French school of organisations, he is basing his work on an empirical research and makes the link between his observations and the theories of development and institutional transformations.

For the competition Vassil Kirov has presented 29 publications, most of them published in different European journals or books in English and French. The proposed publications present theoretical analyses and work on a rich empirical background, based on different sociological studies in companies, social partners organisations, administrations, etc. Many of the publications conclude on concrete recommendations for the stakeholders analysed.

Dr. Kirov has showed active engagement not only in research and expert work (more than 30 projects, many of them in the framework of comparative research) are presented in his CV, but also lectures in prestigious higher education institutions in France and in Bulgaria.

  1. Scientific contributions

After the completion of his Ph.D. about the privatisation of industrial enterprises in Bulgaria, Vassil Kirov has continued his work on the transformation of the enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe and the changing industrial relations in the region. Among the important contributions of the author are the application of the concept of the global value chains restructuring in order to explain the organisational realities and the use of flexibility in the CEE enterprises (‘Changes in work in transformation economies - The case of the new Member States’). This analysis underlines the key factors that determine whether a company will move up, move down or remain locked in its current position within a global value chain. Firms in the ‘new economy’ sectors seem to have the best potential for moving in the direction of the high value added economic activities, whilst firms in the old economy mostly appear to be stuck in their current position in the international division of labour.A critical assessment is established about the impact of globalisation on the career development and the work life balance.

Dr. Kirov examines the role of social dialogue in order to ensure smoother restructuring in Bulgaria.The study of the actors goes beyond the institutional analysis. The in depth study of the development of trade unions in the new member states and the difficult employees representation contributes to the debates about the employees voice in Central and Eastern Europe.

In different texts Dr. Kirov develops the thesis (in “Restructuring and Social Dialogue” or“Risk Capital and Innovative Entrepreneurship in Bulgaria”) about the culture of trust as a precondition of the legitimate changes.

Dr. Kirov develops also the issue of Europeanisation and the role of the European integration or the developments in different areas – such as the employment and labour market policies and administration, the education and the integration of vulnerable groups, the agriculture, etc.

  1. Critical remarks about the presented texts of the applicant

Part of the examined texts are focused on the realities in Bulgaria. However there is a need to put some of the findings in perspective, comparing the Bulgarian models or restructuring with those in the other New member states.

My recommendation is that Dr. Kirov will focus his further work on acomparative perspective bringing attenton to emerging countries which in different part of the world are grounding their catching up process by attracting FDI and new forms of management.

  1. Personal impressions from the applicant

I know Vassil KIROV for more than 14 years. In the framework of a research project of the IV FPRD of the European Union I could evaluate his qualities. The first work done by him focused on exclusion in Bulgaria and this cooperation continued with a comparative report on public policies in Eastern Germany, Poland and Bulgaria. I was in the jury of his Ph.D. presentation (« La privatisation des entreprises en Bulgarie »), successfully defended in Paris in June 2002. Further, he took part of the CERI seminars about privatisation in the worlds regions.Vassil Kirov is a rigorous researcher who respects his scientific engagements and could organise his work in order to meet deadlines. From this perspective he could be very useful for the development of the Bulgarian sociological thought and the Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge.

  1. Motivated and clearly formulated conclusion

On the basis of the abovementioned conclusions about the scientific achievements and the rich lecturers and expert activities of Dr. Vassil Kirov I categorically recommend to the members of the Scientific Jury and the Scientific Council of the of the Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge, Bulgarian Academy of Sciencesto vote unanimously to support the election of Dr. Vassil Kirov at the academic position Associate Professor (Code Number 05.11.01, Sociology, professional area 3.1. Sociology, anthropology and culture sciences at the Department „Knowledge Society: science, education and innovations”, ISSK, BAS).

16.02.2012

Paris

Prof. François Bafoil

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