Employment

Since Apr 2013: Professor of sociology, Jean Monnet Chair and head of the Institute for Innovations and Technology in Regional Development at the Faculty of Information Studies (Novo mesto, Slovenia) and professor of sociology at the School of Advanced Social Studies (Nova Gorica, Slovenia)

Apr 2012 – Mar 2013: Director General for Higher Education and Science, Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, Republic of Slovenia.

Dec 2011 – Mar 2012: Associate professor of Sociology at the School of Advanced Social Studies (Nova Gorica, Slovenia) and Faculty of Information Studies (Novo mesto, Slovenia).

Dec 2006 – Nov 2011: Director of University and Research Centre, Novo mesto, Slovenia

July 2006 – Jan 2008: founding Dean of the School of Advanced Social Studies in Novo mesto (Slovenia)

Jun 2004 – Nov 2006: Head of Department of Development, the Municipality of Novo mesto (Slovenia)

Dec 1999 – May 2004: Ph.D. fellow/research assistant at University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Research interests

– Innovations and technology in regional development, sociological theory, Cultural Political Economy, East European societies.

– Particular research topics include regional innovation systems, social capital, multi-level strategic processes, and socio-cultural factors of development of East European societies.

– Research employed a variety of research methods, most notably 1. fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (conducting in FSQCA and R), 2. interviews and focus groups (analysed with CAQDAS), 3. statistical analysis (conducted in SPSS and R), as well as 4. media content analysis.

Fellowships and awards

2016-2019: Jean Monnet Chair in Cultural Political Economy of Europe 2020

since 2016: Fellow of Regional Studies Association

2016: Gosar award for outstanding achievements in research fundraising (School of Advanced Social Studies, Slovenia)

2002: Marie Curie Ph.D. fellowship at Aalborg University (Aalborg, Denmark)

1999-2003: Ph.D. fellowship from Slovenian Research Agency.

1995-1999: Zois scholarship as an outstanding B.Sc. student.

Visiting academic positions

May 2017: visiting professor at American University of Beirut (Lebanon)

2012-2015: visiting academic researcher at University of Surrey (UK)

Feb-Mar 2012: visiting scholar at University of Nevada (Reno, USA)

Sep-Dec 2011: honorary research fellow at University of Cumbria (Carlisle, UK)

Apr-May 2011: visiting researcher at Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)

May-June 2010 and Jan-Feb 2011: visiting scholar at Freie Universität Berlin (Germany)

Feb-March 2010: visiting scholar at Kazan Federal University (Russia)

Teaching experience

Since 2005: BA level courses in social research methods, qualitative research methods, sociological theory, and economic sociology

Since 2007: MA level courses in qualitative research methods, comparative research, and information society.

Since 2008: Ph.D. courses in triangulation and advanced sociological theory

Since 2005 supervised 5 PhD students, 15 MA students and 34 BA students who have completed their degrees. Currently supervising 3 PhD students.

Membership in professional associations

Since 2003: International Sociological Association (ISA); member of Council of National Associations; RC 02 (Research Committee Economy and Society), RC 09 (Research Committee on Social Transformations and Sociology of Development) and RC 20 (Comparative Sociology).

Since 2010: European Sociological Association; member of Research Network 36 (Sociology of Transformations: East and West)

Since 2010: Regional Studies Association (RSA), fellow of RSA

Research grants and consultancy

FP6 and FP7 projects

2011-2016: Collaborative large-scale integrating project Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe: Reframing Addictions Project. (ALICE-RAP), lead researcher of consortium member.

2006-2008: Regions of Knowledge 2 project Creating a RTD Investment Policy for Regions in Emerging and Developed Economies (CRIPREDE), lead researcher of consortium member.

2006-2008: Regions of Knowledge 2 project Advance of European Regions’ R & D Governance Systems to reach the 3% objective. (ARRGOS 3%), lead researcher of consortium member.

2004-2007: Specific targeted research project Eastern Enlargement – Western Enlargement: Cultural encounters in the European Economy and Society after the Accession (DIOSCURI), researcher.

2004-2008: Network of Excellence project Efficient and Democratic Governance in a Multi-level Europe (CONNEX), research group manager.

Other international projects

2017-2019: Interreg Danube Region project High Performance Computing for Effective Innovation in the Danube Region. (InnoHPC), head of lead partner.

2017-2019: Erasmus+ Capacity building in Higher project Boosting Innovation in Curricula Development of IT Programs in Palestine. (BIT-PAL), leader of consortium member.

2016-2019: Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships project Designstem: Integrated Design + STEM Education. (Desighstem), leader of consortium member.

2015-2017: Erasmus+ Sport project Feel the Freedom of the Water. Leader of consortium member

2016-2017: Bilateral co-operation project The Role of University Spin-off Founders (From Centrality to Periphery). Slovenia – USA, as a project coordinator.

2013-2014: Bilateral co-operation project Comparing Demographic Trends and Labour Market Fluctuations in Slovenia and Ukraine during the period 2000-2014. Slovenia – Ukraine, researcher.

2012-2014: Transnational Cooperation Programme Southeast Europe project Making Migrations Work for Development (MMWD), lead researcher of consortium member.

2010-2012: Bilateral co-operation project GambLIB – Gambling Research Database. Slovenia – USA, as a project coordinator.

2010-2011: Bilateral Cooperation project Strategic Coalitions and Regional Development, Slovenia – Russia, as a project coordinator.

2003-2004: International project funded by Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Austrian National Bank The Socio-Economic Culture of Eastern Europe and the enlarged Union (ACCESS), Investigator.

Consultancies

2010-2015: consultant to a variety of technological companies; on the topics of Eastern European societies.

Since 2007-2013: company HIT Casinos; on the topics of social costs of gambling, media analysis and social acceptability of casino tourism.

2003-2013: local, regional and national-level government in Slovenia; on the topics of developmental strategies, human capital and EU policies.

2003: Council of Europe (in cooperation with the Belgian government); on the topics of labour market policies in South-East Europe.

1999-2005: Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Germany; on the topics of labour markets, unemployment, transformation, social security, human resource development, as well as ethnic minorities in media and education in Southeast Europe

Other relevant experience

May 2015: Member of External Review Board for evaluation of School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland)

2013-2014: Mentoring student start-ups SQBZY and Okeana, winners of iTIME and Imagine Cup competitions.

Jan-Mar 2013: Head of international winter school Computer analysis of Qualitative Data

Jan-Mar 2013: Head of international winter school Chaos theory in Social Sciences

2012-2013: Vice-president of the board of University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Jul-Sept 2012: Head of international summer school Fuzzy-sets and comparative analysis

Nov 2011-Nov 2012: Weekly columnist for national media portal Planet Siol

2008-2009: Member of national Higher Education Council of Republic of Slovenia (national accreditation body)

2008-2009: Member of the Evaluation Commission of Slovenian Media Fund, Ministry of Culture

2008: Member of National Council for Developmental Research Projects.

– List of selected relevant publications –

Books

Borut Rončević and Matevž Tomšič eds. (2017) Information Society and Its Manifestations: Economy, politics, Culture. Frankfurt am Main, New York, Oxford: Peter Lang.

Makarovič M, Rončević B (2010) Interethnic Relations in a Systemic Context: Minorities in Media and Education in Slovenia, Münster: Lit Verlag.

Adam F, Makarovič, M, Rončević B, Tomšič M (2005) The Challenges of Sustained Development: The Role of Socio-cultural Factors in East-Central Europe. New York; Budapest: CEU Press.

Journal articles

Makarovič M, Šušteršič J, Rončević B. (2014) ‘Is Europe 2020 Set to Fail? The Cultural Political Economy of the EU Grand Strategies’. European Planning Studies, 22(3), 610-626.

Rončević B, Modic, D (2011) ‘Regional Systems of Innovations as Social Fields’. Sociology and Space, 49(191), 313-333.

Rončević B, Makarovič M. (2011): ‘Societal Steering in Theoretical Perspective: Social Becoming as an Analytical Solution’. Polish Sociological Review, ISSN 1231-1413, 2011, vol. 176, no. 4, str. 461-472.

Rončević B and Makarovič M (2010) ‘Towards the Strategies of Modern Societies: Systems and Social Processes’. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences, 23(3), 223-239.

Rončević B, Šušteršič J, Wostner P, Besednjak Valič T (2010): ‘Quo Vadis Slovenia? Between Framework Conditions and Internal Capabilities’. Managing Global Transitions, 8 (4), 353-380,

Adam F, Bernik I, Rončević B (2005) ‘A Grand Theory and a Small Social Scientific Community: Niklas Luhmann in Slovenia’. Studies in East European Thought, 57(1), 61-80.

Adam F, Rončević B (2003) ‘Social Capital: Recent Debates and Research Trends. Social Science Information, 42(2), 155-183.

Book chapters

Cepoi V, Makarovic M, Roncevic B, Tomsic M (2017, forthcoming) ‘Methodological Solutions for Comparative Research on Transformations’. In: Vihalemm P, Masso A, Opermann S(eds.) The Routledge International Handbook of Social Transformation. Routledge.

Rončević B, Fric U (2015) ‘Researching Industrial Symbiosis: Challenges and Dilemmas’. In: Povh, J (ed.). Applied Modeling and Computing in Social Science. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 35-49.

Fairweather A, Rončević B, Rydbjerg M, Valentova M, Zajc M (2015) ‘Reconceptualization of social quality’. In: Lin K, Herrmann P (eds.). Social Quality Theory: A New Perspective on Social Development. New York; Oxford: Berghahn, 16-36.

Rončević B, Modic D (2012) ‘Social fields of technological innovations’. In: Genov N (ed.) Global Trends and Regional Development. New York: Routledge, 226-247.

Rončević, B (2012) ‘Regional Development Agencies and Changing Social Fields: Towards a Sociology of Regional Systems of Innovation’. In: Bellini N, Danson M, Halkier H (eds.) Regional Development Agencies: The Next Generation? Networking, Knowledge and Regional Policies. London; New York: Routledge, 87-101.

Macur M, Makarovič M, Rončević B (2009) ‘Slovenia’. In: Meyer G, Hayer T, Griffiths M (eds.) Challenges, Prevention and Interventions: Problem Gambling in Europe. New York: Springer, 265-280.

Makarovič M, Rončević B, Zorec K (2009) ‘Social costs of gambling in Slovenia: Multiple scenarios, multiple outcomes’. in: Eadington WR (ed.) Integrated Resort Casinos: Implications for Economic Growth and Social Impacts. Reno: Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming College of Business, University of Nevada, 127-151.

Rončević B (2007) ‘Formation of developmental coalitions: A comparative study of Denmark and Slovenia’. in Genov N (ed.) Comparative Research in the Social Science. Paris: ISSC, 277-289.

Makarovič M, Rončević B (2006): ‘Ethnicity and mass media in Slovenia’. in: Genov N (ed.) Ethnicity and Mass Media in South Eastern Europe, Münster: Lit Verlag; London: Global, 173-196.

Rončević B (2005) ‘Education of ethnic minorities in Slovenia: an element of or an obstacle to development?’ in Genov N (ed.) Ethnicity and Educational Policies in South Eastern Europe. Münster: Lit Verlag193-210.

Adam F, Rončević B (2004) Social capital as a useful scientific metaphor. in: Genov N (ed.) Advances in Sociological Knowledge over Half a Century. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 183-204.