Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation

The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) is a private, independent and non-profit organization dedicated to conducting and supporting policy-oriented research and training in Turkey. As a public policy research institute, TESEV’s main objective is to promote data collection, research, analysis and policy formulation on a wide range of issues and problems that the society at large is faced with. TESEV’s basic mission is to bridge the gap between academic research and policy decisions. TESEV aims to:

encourage social and political transformation in Turkey
analyze the rapid social and cultural changes taking place in Turkey and the government’s responses to these challenges
support Turkey’s accession to the EU

Consequently, TESEV undertakes research in the following areas:

Turkey and the EU, State and Reform
Civil Society
Civic Contributions to Foreign Policy

. Its recent studies have addressed issues such as fight against corruption, transparency and accountability, state reform, and the role of Islamic organizations in Turkish economic life. Current research projects include a wide-ranging analysis of Turkish-EU relations, focusing on the substantive issues which will be involved in accession negotiations. In cooperation with the World Bank, TESEV is undertaking a study examining the difficulties involved in efforts to crack down on corruption, it includes a comprehensive survey of the nature and extent of corruption, together with policy proposals.

TESEV publishes a wide range of books, monographs, seminar proceedings and reports , as well as an annual Human Development Report for Turkey. It aims to make research findings available to the widest possible audience, and combines academic publications with policy studies aimed at a more general readership of opinion formers in Turkey and abroad.

TESEV organizes regular seminars and conferences, bringing together academic specialists and policy makers from Turkey and abroad.

English and Turkish language website features full-text versions of TESEV position papers and a downloadable Monograph series in zipped format. It also contains details of the institute’s reasearch projects and other activities.