Georgia Efremova is a young researcher, academic and development practitioner. She completed her undergraduate studies in Economics and Spanish- American Literature, with a specialization in International Relations at the University of Illinois in Chicago in 2005. She also holds a Masters in Nationalism Studies from the Central European University in Budapest (2008) and is currently a PhD candidate in Social Anthropology at the University College London.Originally of Bulgarian and Greek origin, she has broad international experience in the areas of economics and finance, corporate social responsibility, anthropology and sustainable development, in both professional and academic aspects. She has applied her diverse language skills (Bulgarian, Greek, Spanish, English, Hungarian, Turkish) in her work to date, combining her interests and experience in business, policy making and academics with her affinity towards the more embedded, anthropological approach and sensitivity to the complexity of development issues.Her most recent research has concentrated on the dynamics of radical politics and the redefinition of the Roma issue in the Hungarian context. Georgia Efremova implemented a local community development project following an extended anthropological fieldwork research in North-Eastern Hungary, and where she is currently devising a number of local initiatives focused on strengthening local democracy, improving citizen participation, capacity building and promoting socio-economic development through social entrepreneurship with the focus on Roma inclusion.She also continues to develop her skills and experience through her involvement as a consultant and researcher in UNDP’s regional initiative on area-based development for Roma inclusion, as well as through various other engagements focusing on inclusive local development.
