08.09.2026
From 3 to 5 September 2026, the SISP Conference 2026, the annual conference of the Italian Political Science Association (Società Italiana di Scienza Politica – SISP), was held at the University of Trento, Italy, under the theme “Multilateralism Contested”.
As part of the conference, Assoc. Prof. Desislava Kalcheva, PhD, participated in Panel 9.9 “Professionalisation and Politicisation in European Local Government: Institutions, Discourses, and Administrative Capacity”, within the “Federalism, Regional and Local Studies” section.
During the panel, Assoc. Prof. Kalcheva presented for the first time the findings of her research entitled “Professionalisation and Politicisation – the Case of Bulgarian Local Government”, which examines the processes of professionalisation and politicisation in Bulgarian local government.
The panel brought together scholars working on professionalisation, political influence, and administrative capacity in European local government, creating a setting for comparative analysis and academic exchange on these issues.
Participation in SISP Conference 2026 enabled the development of local government in Bulgaria to be presented within a broader comparative context and to contribute to the academic debate on the interaction between professional and political dimensions at the local level.
