Silvia I. Fierăscu, PhD
I am a Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy and Communication Sciences, the Founder and Director of FabLab - Social Fabrics Research Lab, and Researcher at the Big Data Science Laboratory, all at West University of Timișoara. I hold a PhD in Political Science with a specialization in Network Science from Central European University in Budapest and I am Head of OrgMapper Academy at Maven7 Network Research Inc.
My research interests are on applications of network and data science to social science problems. I work in various international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary projects, translating complex problems into solutions for organizational development, change management, better communication, good governance, public policy, and social impact.
*** Redefining State Capture ***
In countries where corruption is a systemic problem, current strategies of investigation and intervention to stop the phenomenon are not working. Where corruption is endemic, we are dealing with complex networks, entangled in the correct, corrupt, efficient and incompetent daily practices of public institutions and private organizations. The current methods used to disrupt them do not address the organizing principles of these networks with appropriate data, conceptual frameworks or analytical tools. In "Redefining State Capture," Dr. Silvia Fierăscu investigates the case of state capture through the institutionalization of corruption networks in public procurement in Hungary. The book focuses on the turning point in the country's development, from the most successful post-communist transition, to the first country in the European Union downgraded as a partially free, illiberal democratic regime, 20 years later.
2023 International Courses:
> 6-10 Feb 2023, Social Network Analysis, ECPR Winter School, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Registration ended.
> 27-31 Mar 2023, Applied Social Network Analysis, Bamberg Graduate School for Social Sciences (BAGSS) Internal Methods Institute, Bamberg University, Germany. Registration ended.
> 22-24 Apr 2023, Organizational Development and Informal Power, SPOR Leadership Camp, Breb, Romania. Registration ended.
> 19-23 Jun 2023, Applied Social Network Analysis, Summer School in Social Research Methods, Methods Excellence Network, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Registration ends: May 1st; Early Bird by Apr 1st.
> TBA, Network Analysis for Practitioners, Research for Civil Society and Government Practitioners Module, Făgăraș Research Institute, Registration ends: Jul.
> 3 Jul-11 Sep 2023, APAC Regional ONA Mentorship Program (virtual), OrgMapper Academy. Registration: Apr 1st - Jun 23.
> 8 Sep-16 Oct 2023, Global ONA Mentorship Program (virtual), OrgMapper Academy. Registration: Jun 1st-Sep 1st.
Invited Talks
> Leuven, Jun 2021 - Invited Speaker: "Network Analysis Workshop," MethLab, KU Leuven
> Bucharest, May 2021 - Guest Lecture: "Network Analysis Training," MA Program in International Public Affairs, University of Bucharest
> Istanbul, May 2021 - Guest Lecture: "The Power of Network Science in Social Sciences, Organizations, and Innovation," Domino Lecture Series, Istanbul Bilgi University
> Bucharest, May 2021 - Guest Speaker: "Thriving in Research and Education, in a Context of Failure. A Tale of Youth Empowerment," Resilience in Education and Research Panel, Romanian International Conference for Research and Education
> Budapest, Apr 2021 - Guest Lecture: "Applied Network Science," Network Science Class, Rajk Laszlo College for Advanced Studies, Budapest
> Lisbon, Nov 2020 - Invited Speaker: ”Data viz for social impact,” Data Visualization Lisboa Meetup
> Rome, Sep 2020 - Invited Speaker: ”Networks as Anti-Corruption Policy Tools”, Corruption Networks. From Data Analysis to Public Policy, Satellite on Corruption Networks, NetSci 2020 - International School and Conference on Network Science
> Budapest, Apr 9, 2020 - Guest Lecture: "Network Science for Social Good," Rajk Laszlo College for Advanced Studies
> Budapest, Mar 2, 2020 - Invited Speaker: Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference, Central European University
> Bamberg, Feb 18, 2020 - Panel Speaker: Hot Winter Debate 1: “Big Data: the Hype, the Limits and the Challenges”, ECPR Winter School in Methods and Techniques
> Istanbul, Dec 3 & 6, 2019 - Guest Lecture: "Introduction to Social Network Analysis," Faculty of Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University
> Timișoara, Nov 6, 2019 - Guest Speaker: "Interlinking Your Career," Romanian International Conference for Research and Education
> Bilbao, Oct 10, 2019 - Keynote Talk: "Pathways to Capturing the State: Comparative Analysis of Corruption Networks in Public Procurement across European Countries," COSTNET19 (CA15109 - European Cooperation for Statistics of Network Data Science)
> Lisbon, Oct 3, 2019 - Guest Lecture: "Analyzing State Capture through Corruption Networks," NOVA Information Management School
> Lisbon, Oct 2, 2019 - Guest Speaker: "Interlinking Data Science with Social Impact," NOVA Information Management School, Wednesday Summits