Jovan Bliznakovski is an Assistant professor in political science at the Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. He holds a PhD in political studies from the University of Milan, Italy and MSc in political science from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Bliznakovski’s current research is focused on political mobili-zation in the Western Balkan countries, with a focus on political clientelism and ethnic-based mobilization. In the period 2014–16, Bliznakovski served as program director of the Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis in Skopje (IDSCS).