Name and Surname
Borjan Gjuzelov
Affiliation
Independent Consultant and Senior Researcher at Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ Skopje
Contact email
borjan.gjuzelov@gmail.com
Short Biography
Borjan Gjuzelov is a political scientist specialising in informality, authoritarianism and good governance. He holds a PhD from Queen Mary University of London, where he also taught political analysis as a teaching assistant. He has authored and contributed to numerous academic and policy publications and has collaborated with a wide range of universities, organisations, and institutions, including University College London, King’s College London, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute, the Open Government Partnership, the Economist Intelligence Unit, the OSCE, UNDP, and HELVETAS. He currently works as a freelance consultant and serves as a senior researcher at the Skopje-based think tank Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” Skopje.
Research abstract
Exploring the Democratic Potential of Digital GenZs across Southeast Europe
This project examines how digitally embedded members of Generation Z make sense of democracy, autonomy, and civic action. While often portrayed as politically disengaged, many young people in Southeast Europe are increasingly integrated into global digital markets, gaining economic independence that does not automatically translate into political engagement. Using a qualitative, interpretative, and participatory research design, the study explores how Gen Z’s lived experiences shape political imaginaries, civic orientations, and democratic expectations. Through interviews, participatory workshops, and comparative analysis, the project generates empirically grounded insights relevant to youth studies, democratic theory, and policy debates on democratic renewal in hybrid regimes.