Silviya Nitsova

Silviya Nitsova is a British Academy International Fellow in the Department of Politics at The University of Manchester, holding a PhD in Political Science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research examines political economy, corruption, and oligarchic influence in weakly institutionalized states with primary focus on Ukraine and post-communist contexts.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Master’s in Global Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Master’s in Political Science, Leiden University
• Bachelor’s in European Studies, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Dr. Nitsova investigates how extremely wealthy businesspeople interact with political institutions through social network analysis, surveys, and qualitative methods. Her work explores oligarchic networks’ impact on policy outcomes and public attitudes during crises like the Russo-Ukrainian war, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals related to governance and inequality.

Her recent publications analyze regional variations in post-revolutionary Ukraine, revealing how historical legacies and oligarchic structures shape reform implementation across Donbas, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. This research demonstrates consistent methodological rigor across field studies and demonstrates growing citation impact in post-Soviet political studies.

Scientific recognition includes:

• British Academy International Fellowship for "Divide and Rule: Oligarchic Political Networks and Patronalism in Ukraine"

Her research receives substantial funding from The British Academy, The Rotary Foundation, The Institute for Humane Studies, and The Smith Richardson Foundation. Current projects examine wartime transformations in oligarchic networks and public perceptions of superrich influence, with implications for Ukraine’s postwar recovery and democratic development.