Marija Risteska holds a PhD in Political Science. She is the founder and Executive Directress of the Centre for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), a leading think tank in North Macedonia.

Marija’s research focuses on public administration reform, public management, good governance, policy transfer, and European integration. She has taught political science at FON University and New York College Skopje, and currently serves as Assistant Professor at the South East European University (SEEU) in Tetovo.

Since founding CRPM, Marija has led the team in contributing to four major public sector reforms in North Macedonia. She authored the national public policy development system, developed with Norwegian support, and the ex-post policy evaluation system backed by OSCE. Her expertise in budgeting has been central since 2004, including work on introducing transparency and participatory budgeting through amendments to the Law on Budget (2005), supported by USAID and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

A long-time advocate for gender equality, Marija has collaborated with UN Women on gender-responsive budgeting since 2006, providing research, analysis, training, and mentorship to both government and municipal officials. She currently serves as Regional Director of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network, a coalition of 88 civil society organizations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Serbia.

In 2011, Marija championed North Macedonia’s accession to the Open Government Partnership and, since 2012, has played a pivotal role in ensuring civil society participation in the co-creation of Open Government Action Plans (2014 and 2016). She also spearheaded the creation of a regional open government platform across six Western Balkan countries with EU support.

Since 2018, Marija has been actively engaged in preventing violent extremism. Working with the Hedayah Center for Excellence in Countering Terrorism and the EU, she developed the policy model Passage for Prevent, a mechanism for the referral and reintegration of individuals vulnerable to radicalization, including foreign fighters and their families.

Under her leadership, CRPM has been listed among the 100 most influential think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe by the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tank Index since 2012. The organization has received several prestigious awards, including the Japanese Medal for Outstanding Research in Development (2016) and the PASOS Think Tank Award (2010, 2013).

Marija is the author of two textbooks, Public Policy, Policy Making and Public Value (2017) and Gender Responsive Budgeting (2013). Her published works include Sexual Extortion as an Act of Corruption: Legal and Institutional Response (2022) and Gender and Diversity Impact of COVID-19 (2021). She has also edited or co-edited several key publications, including Mapping the Leaders in Macedonia and Albania (2010), The Macedonian Question (2012), Ten Years after the Ohrid Framework Agreement (2011), and European Law for Small and Medium Enterprises (2004).

Marija is a co-chair of the Working Group for Chapter 19 of the National Convention for EU Integration and serves as Policy Coordinator for the EBRD’s Western Balkans Women in Business Program. She is a frequent speaker at international forums, including the Raisina Dialogue.

A passionate traveler, Marija enjoys discovering the world with her family and believes in the power of shared experiences to inspire new ideas.

e-mail: risteska@crpm.org.mk