Melinda Istenes-Benczi PhD
International relations coordinator
Melinda Istenes-Benczi PhD
international relations coordinator
Impact study, project development, knowledge dissemination
Professional experience
Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives
international relations coordinator 2022/01 –
Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives
strategic planner, project manager 2018/05 – 2022/01
Új Egyenlőség
Editorial Coordinator, 03/2017 – 04/2018
Inclusion US, Washington DC
Policy Analyst Intern, 09/2015 – 12/2015
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion, London
Labour Market Policy Intern, 01/2014 – 07/2014
European Parliament, Brussels
Research intern, 02/2013 – 03/2013
Studies
University of Sopron, Faculty of Economics
Doctoral School (2019 – 2024)
University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Social Sciences Master
Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies 2014 – 2016
Eötvös Loránd University
English and American Studies BA Degree, Romance Philology / Neo-Latin Languages and Cultures, Specialised in French Studies BA Minor, 2010 – 2013
Other studies
Mathias Corvinus Collégium
International Relations Specialisation, then Leadership Academy, 2010 – 2014
Language proficiency
Hungarian (first language)
English
French
Romanian
Publication
Istenes-Benczi, M., Ocskay, G., & Gyelník, T. (2026). W/ordering in the EU. Changes of European Discourse on Migration. Alternatives: Global, Local, Political. https://doi.org/10.1177/03043754251412005
Gyelnik, T., – Istenes-Benczi, M. (2025). Bridging borders in practice: lessons from the DKMT Euroregion and the BTC EGTC. European Values E-Journal, 1(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.14232/euval.2025.1.37-51
Istenes-Benczi, M. (2025): The Tisza EGTC as a resilience tool for cross-border cooperation. Annales Scientia Politica, Vol. 14, No. 2 (2025), o. 5–20. URL: https://www.unipo.sk/sites/default/files/content/85451/01_asp_2025_2_istenes_benczi.pdf
Balla, J. – Darányi, L. – Fejes, Zs. – Istenes-Benczi, M. – Ocskay, Gy. – Vájlok, L. (2025): Case study: The Hungarian-Austrian border area. In: Mertens, P. – Unfried, M. – Sivonen, S.: The revised Schengen Borders Code – an ex-post evaluation in times of border controls (ITEM-TEIN joint study). o. 76–107. URL: https://crossborderitem.eu/wp-content/uploads/Border-controls-cross-border-regions-europe-ITEM-TEIN-25comp.pdf
Benczi, M. (2024): Outlining the main perception strands on the Hungarian-Romanian border. Frontières en mouvement (Frontem). Which Models of Cross-Border Cooperation for the EU?. Birte Wassenbeg (ed.). Peter Lang.
Benczi, M. – Tóth, B. I. (2023): A nemzeti kisebbségek szerepe a magyar-román határon átnyúló gazdasági együttműködésben a 2007-2020 közötti időszak megyei fejlesztési dokumentumaiban. [The role of national minorities in economic cooperation across the Hungarian-Romanian border in county development documents for the period 2007-2020]. Pro Publico Bono, 11(2), o. 145-162. doi: 10.32575/ppb.2023.2.8. URL: https://folyoirat.ludovika.hu/index.php/ppbmk/article/view/6543/5611
Benczi, M. (2023): The Role of EGTCs and Euroregions in Economic Cooperation Across the Hungarian-Romanian Border Between the Period 2007-2020. Társadalom – Gazdaság – Természet: Szinergiák a fenntartható fejlődésben (Nemzetközi tudományos konferencia a Magyar Tudomány Ünnepe alkalmából): Konferenciakötet. Soproni Egyetem Kiadó. 593 p. doi: 9789633344507. URL: http://publicatio.uni-sopron.hu/2616/1/MTU_2022_Conf_Proceedings_SOE_LKK.pdf
Benczi, M. (2023): Sustainable cross-border cooperation? A case-study on the role of national minorities. Észak-magyarországi Stratégiai Füzetek, Vol. 20. No. 4. pp. 74–85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32976/stratfuz.2023.37
Benczi, M. (2022) „Mikhailova, E., Garrard, J. (eds.) (2021): Twin Cities across Five Continents. Interactions and Tensions on Urban Borders (Routledge, New York, p. 350)”, Tér és Társadalom, 36(2), o. 150–153. DOI: 10.17649/TET.36.2.3433. URL: https://tet.rkk.hu/index.php/TeT/article/view/3433/5649
Benczi, M. – Ocskay, Gy. (2021): A határon átnyúló együttműködés fejlődése Magyarországon. [The evolution of cross-border cooperation in Hungary]. Strategic Issues of Northern Hungary Economy-Region-Society. 18(3).
Benczi M. (2021). Achievement (un)locked: how did the covid-19 global pandemic change the narrative of cross-border cooperation? In Challenges in the Carpathian Basin. Global Challenges – Local Answers. Sapientia – Hungarian University of Transylvania, Faculty of Economics, Socio-Human Sciences and Engineering, Miercurea-Ciuc, 2021. ISBN: 978-973-53-2752-1. URL: http://csik.sapientia.ro/data/Challenges%20in%20the%20carpathian%20basin%20e-book.pdf
