Maria-Varinia Michalun, Author at

Maria-Varinia Michalun

Maria-Varinia Michalun specialises in multi-level governance of regional development. She contributes to policy dialogue on national, regional and local governance, providing recommendations for building integrated governance practices, implementing decentralisation reform, establishing territorial governance structures, improving public service delivery, and enhancing citizen well-being. Varinia leads the team dedicated to providing policy recommendations on governance and strategic planning for regional development in the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. She has worked with national and subnational governments in a variety of countries, including Argentina, Chile, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Panama, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. Varinia holds a Master degree in Public Affairs from Sciences-Po Paris, with a concentration in welfare systems complemented by extensive work in regional economic development. She received her undergraduate degree in international economics from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, in Washington, DC.

Trust in government is hard won, but easily lost, especially during times of crisis. Trust in government dipped sharply during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and took a decade to recover. But trust can also be worn down over time by long-term trends, such as economic decline.