Michal
Vašečka

Michal Vašečka - an external associate

Sociologist and lecturer

Our external associate Michal Vašečka is sociologist by background. He focuses his interests on issues of ethnicity, race, and migration studies, as well as populism, extremism, social movements, and civil society. As an Associate Professor Michal operates at the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts (BISLA) since 2015 and at the Pan-European University in Bratislava since 2018. Previously he worked at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University in Brno (2002-2017) and at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava (2006-2009). As a visiting scholar he operated at the New School University in New York (1996-1997), at the University of London (1998), at the Georgetown University In Washington DC (2008-2009), at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (2015), and he was also a ISGAP Scholar-In-Residence at the Oxford University (2016). Michal Vašečka is a founder and former director (2006-2012) of the Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (CVEK). In 1998-2005 he worked at the Slovak think-tank Institute of Public Affairs (IVO) as a program director on expert analysis of the Slovak transformation process with a focus on national minorities and the state of civil society in Slovakia. He has been a consultant for the World Bank in 2000-2008 and in 2011-2012. Since 2012 Michal Vašečka serves as a representative of the Slovak republic in the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), human rights body of the Council of Europe. He serves as a vice-chairman of the governmental committee VRAX tackling extremism and racism in Slovakia since 2017. In 2010-2017 Michal Vašečka served as a chairman of the Board of the Fulbright Commission in Slovakia. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the European Centre for Minority Issues in Flensburg since 2010, and president of the Executive Board of the Platform for Improvement of Health Status of Disadvantaged Groups in Bratislavasince 2017. Dr. Michal Vašečka is a chairman of the Editorial Board of the Denník N, major daily newspaper in Slovakia since 2016, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Prague-based Aspen Review Central Europe in 2012-2016, since 2016 member of the Editorial Board. In 2018 Michal became a laureate of the Award for special contribution in the field human rights of Minister of Justice of Slovakia. 

Current position

• Associate Professor at the Pan-European University in Bratislava, since 2018
• Vice-chairman of the governmental committee VRAX tackling extremism and racism in Slovakia, since 2017
• Coworker at Pažitný & Kandilaki, since 2017
• Program director of the Bratislava Policy Institute, since 2017
• Associate Professor at the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts, since 2015
• Representative of the Slovak republic in the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, since 2012

Education

• Masaryk University in Brno - Ph.D. and PhDr. in sociology (2004)
• New School University in New York - visiting scholar certificate (1997)
• Masaryk University in Brno - M.A. in sociology (1995)

Membership in professional associations

Professional associations

• Initiator of the Scholars at Risk Slovakia, since 2018
• Member of the Executive Board of the Carpathian Foundation in Košice, since 2017.
• Member of the Executive Board of the Platform for Improvement of Health Status of Disadvantaged Groups in Bratislava; in 2017 he has been elected president of its Executive Board in 2013-2016.
• Member of the Executive Board of the Center for Open Politics in Bratislava, since 2017.   
• Member of the Advisory Board of the European Centre for Minority Issues in Flensburg, since 2010
• Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the National project Healthy Communities (Zdravé Komunity) in 2015-2016.
• Member of the Selection Committee for the program SK08 Cross-border cooperation (CBC01) of the Norwegian and EHP Funds 2009-2014, Bratislava (2014-2017);.
• Chairman of Executive Board of the League of Human Rights in Brno (2014-2018).
• Member of the Executive Board of the Willa Decius Association Cracow, since 2014
• Founder of the Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture, he served a director of the CVEK in the period from 2006 to 2012.
• Member of the Board of the Fulbright Commission in Slovakia since 2010 (chairman of the Board since 2012).
• Member of the APVV - Agency for the Research and Development of the Slovak republic Board for social sciences in 2010-2012.
• Member of the Board of Trustees of the Zvůle práva - Prague based association (since 2008).
• Member of the Advisory Board of the National Democratic Institute for Programs of Roma Minority Political Inclusion in Slovakia (since 2005).
• Member of the Advisory Committee of Partners for Democratic Change for Roma integration program of the USAID (2003-2006)
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities (2001-2006).

Scientific associations

• Member of the Association for Studies of Nationalities ASN, since 2008
• Member of the International Sociological Association ISA, since 2006
• Member of the European Sociological Association ESA (2005-2015)
• Member of the American Association on Advancement of Slavic Studies AAASS (2006-2010)
• Member of the International Society for Third Sector Research ISTSR (2000-2004)

Journals and magazines

• Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Denník N, major daily newspaper in Slovakia, since 2016
• Member of the Editorial Board of the Prague-based Aspen Review Central Europe, since 2016 (in 2012-2016 he was member of the the Advisory Board)

• Member of the Editorial Board of the journal Ekonomický časopis, since 2015

• Member of the Program Commitee of the journal Miscellanea Posttotalitariana Wratislaviensia, Wroclaw, since 2013

Key qualifications

• Experienced in analyses of social impact of IFI policies and strategies on vulnerable groups and minorities;
• Worked for numerous international organizations and research institutions, such as the Hoover Institute, American Council of Learned Societies, Open Society Institute, International Organization for Migration, UNDP, European Center for Minority Issues, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit, Institute for Minority Rights, EURAC Bolzano, British Council Bratislava, GHK London, Navreme Prague, KPMG Bratislava, EBRD London.
• Long-term experiences with all types of quantitative and qualitative research methods necessary for the project (questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, Oral history);
• Well-developed skills for analysing statistical data, both quantitative and qualitative;
• Practical experiences with analysis of social impact of EU policies, social inclusion of minorities and their health status.

References