Scientific Research Project
Innovative Scientific Solutions for Combating Social Inequality and the Shadow Economy
Through Tax Regulation in the Republic of North Macedonia — A Multidisciplinary Approach with Partners from Academia and Institutions
About Us
Research That Shapes Policy
6+
Researchers
2025-
Years
The project stems from the need for a new, innovative, and more effective approach to addressing the shadow economy and social inequality in the Macedonian economy. As a scientific research team with prior experience in developing economic and tax-law proposals and solutions aimed at shaping public policies and legislative amendments, we believe that this is precisely the way to achieve the necessary changes. The research focuses on identifying and analyzing the fiscal policies and tax norms that have contributed to the current problems and challenges, followed by the formulation of new proposed solutions to reduce the scale of the informal economy and mitigate social disparities.
The project combines scientific-legal, applied, and research methods, as well as quantitative and qualitative economic methods, with the aim of offering legally sound solutions and recommendations for a fair, efficient, and transparent tax policy that will contribute to combating social inequality and the shadow economy.
This is an innovative and relevant scientific and applied research project whose main objective is to contribute, through scientific analysis and practical recommendations, to the development of concrete solutions for a more inclusive, fair, and efficient tax system. It will also provide a foundation for further scientific and practical cooperation between domestic researchers and experts and the international academic community.
Team
Activities
Upcoming
International Scientific Conference, 11-13th September 2026, in Ohrid, North Macedonia
We are happy to announce that from 11 to 13 September 2026, an international scientific conference dedicated to taxation, social inequality, and the informal economy will be held in Ohrid. The conference is organized as final activity within the Scientific Research Project titled “Innovative Scientific Solutions for Combating Social Inequality and the Shadow Economy in the Republic of North Macedonia through Tax Regulation”, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science. The conference will serve as an academic forum for knowledge exchange, critical discussion, and analysis of the research findings, with a particular focus on the challenges related to tax regulation, inequality, and possible directions for future legislative and institutional reforms in the Republic of North Macedonia. The event will bring together distinguished professors and researchers in the fields of tax law and economics from universities in North Macedonia, as well as from Central and Eastern European countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Attached is the Preliminary Agenda for the two-day conference. Further information regarding the final programme and participants will be announced in the upcoming period.
Completed
Research Visit to the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade
A team from the Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law in Skopje—Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Maksimovska Stojkova, Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Stojkov, Prof. Dr. Jovan Zafiroski, and Prof. Dr. Elena Neshovska Kjoseva—released a research visit to the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, from 22 to 24 June 2026. During the visit, the team participated in the traditional "Tax Evening" (Poresko veče), organized by the Serbian Fiscal Society and the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade. They also held a working meeting with colleagues from the International Fiscal Association (IFA) Serbia, focusing on strengthening academic and professional cooperation. Particular emphasis was placed on future collaboration with the Centre for Clinical Legal Education and Research in Tax Law and Public Finance at the Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law in Skopje. The Centre will be established within the framework of the research project "Innovative Scientific Solutions for Tackling Social Inequality and the Shadow Economy in the Republic of North Macedonia through Tax Regulation," funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia. This research visit represents an important step towards strengthening regional and international cooperation in the fields of tax law and public finance.
Completed
Participation in the Annual Congress of the European Association of Tax Law Professors (EATLP)
We are particularly pleased to share that Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Maksimovska Stojkova and Prof. Dr. Elena Neshovska Kjoseva participated in the Annual Congress of the European Association of Tax Law Professors (EATLP), held in Athens, Greece, from 4 to 6 June 2026, under the theme “Interpretation of Tax Legislation.” In addition to participating in one of the most prominent European academic forums in the field of tax law, they also held the first coordination meeting with academic partners from Southeast Europe in preparation for the international conference that will take place in Ohrid in September. This is yet another confirmation of the active international engagement of our faculty members and of the successful implementation of the research project “Innovative Scientific Solutions for Tackling Social Inequality and the Shadow Economy in the Republic of North Macedonia through Tax Regulation,” funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Publications
Rethinking Fiscal Decentralization in Relation to Regional Informality: Evidence from a European Transition Country
Published in Economies (2026, 14(7), 264), Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), Basel, Switzerland. The journal is indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and has an Impact Factor of 2.3.
