Dr Miladin Kovačević, Director of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia passed on 25 May 2024.
Dr Miladin Kovačević was born in 1952 in Kazanci, the municipality of Gacko. He completed his primary schooling in Nikšić, and high school in Gornji Milanovac. In 1976 he graduated from the Faculty of Nature Science and Mathematics of Belgrade, the Department of mathematics. He accomplished his MSc studies in statistics in 1978 from the Faculty of Economics of Zagreb. Starting from 1977 he was employed at the Statistical institute of the Federal Statistical Office. Miladin Kovačević defended his PhD theses General methods for accounting, presenting and modelling sample error at the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade.
At the Statistical institute Miladin Kovačević was head of the Division for samples and data collection methods, before he was appointed the head of Population census division (1986). He attained the research associate title at the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade in 1987, and in 1988 was elected a member of the International Statistical Institute. Miladin Kovačević was appointed assistant director of the Federal Statistical Office in 1990 and was in charge of the Department of population statistics and social activities, while in 1993 he was appointed director of the Institute for national accounts, standards, registers and statistical analysis with the Federal Statistical Office (before: Statistical institute). As director of the Statistical institute Miladin Kovačević was engaged in the activities of preparing economic policy and the respective programme of monetary reconstruction and economic stabilization with the Federal Government. He attained the title of senior research associate at the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade in 1992. As a part-time lecturer he was engaged at the postgraduate studies of the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade – course in statistical data quality control. Miladin Kovačević is co-author of the student textbook – Theory of sample and planning of experiments (1991), whereby it became a respective subject at the Faculty of Economics regular studies. Considering the closer domain of theoretical and practical work related to theory of sample and sample-based interview surveys, he provided selected lectures in this area at the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade and the Faculty of Mathematics of Belgrade. He was engaged by the Faculty of Economics in the board for doctoral/PhD grade awards in statistical sciences, and by the Faculty of Mathematics of Belgrade in the board of examiners for the theory of sample exam and in the board for MSc grade awards in the domain of mathematical sciences.
Miladin Kovačević started cooperation with the Institute of economics and with the Institute of economic sciences of Belgrade in 1994. He was engaged in the area of current macroeconomic analysis and methodology of macroeconomic analyses and surveys of current trends and economic policies. He was a member of the editorial board and contributor for the monthly publication Macroeconomic analyses and trends (MAT).
In 1995 Miladin Kovačević attained the position of associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade for the subject Theory of sample and planning of experiments. On proposal by the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade, in 2001 the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Serbia appointed Miladin Kovačević a principal research fellow and he was engaged for doctoral studies’ courses of the Faculty of Economics of Belgrade. From 2001 Miladin Kovačević participated in the cooperation with the International Monetary Fund Mission for stand-by arrangements monitoring in front of the National Bank of Serbia. Thereby he established also the cooperation of SORS in the IMF technical missions in the development of national accounts. Further Miladin Kovačević was appointed the SORS deputy director in 2003, and was charged with the tasks of harmonizing and upgrading the statistical system. Thereby his role was of crucial importance in initiating and establishing the system of national accounts and the respective analytical infrastructure and staff capacities for the needs of users, however in the first place for economic policy makers. For one mandate (starting from May 2004) Miladin Kovačević was elected a member of the National Bank of Serbia Council. In 2007 Miladin Kovačević was elected a full-time member of the Scientific economic association of the Republic of Serbia (NDES).
Miladin Kovačević was appointed the director of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia in 2015. In the same year, for the second mandate he was elected a member of the Council of the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia. He was a member of the GDP growth Coordination Council of the Serbian Government from its very establishment in 2017.
The details on time and date of the funeral of Miladin Kovačević will be later informed.