Democracy

Clara Volintiru is the director of GMF’s Bucharest office and of the organization’s Black Sea Trust.

Prior to joining GMF, she was the director of the New Economy and Society Program at the Aspen Institute of Romania, and a consultant for international organizations such as the World Bank, the European Commission, Eurofound and the Committee of the Regions. Her work covered the EU, the transatlantic community, the Western Balkans, and the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries and Southern neighborhood.

In addition to her international policy work, Volintiru is an associate professor of international political economy at Bucharest University of Economic Studies. She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Volintiru is a contributor to publications including Forbes, Emerging Europe, and Huffington Post.

Matthew C. MacWilliams is the global public opinion lead of the Foundation International Communications Hub (Comms Hub), a newly established organization located in Spain and dedicated to the furtherance of civil society and democracy around the world. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Massachusetts where he was a visiting research associate and also lectured on democracy and participation in the international Civic Initiative program.

Through surveys and focus groups, he has examined the roots of democratic deconsolidation and rise of illiberal politics in the United States and countries across Eurasia and Europe . He has conducted quantitative and qualitative research exploring this question in over 25 countries including Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain,  Ukraine, and the United States.