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New White House, Old Problems: Turkish-American Relations in 2025
Dr. Ömer Taşpınar

The following analysis focuses on U.S. election's impact on Turkish-American relations. Independent of who the winner of the 2024 presidential election in the United States is, Turkish American relati...

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Women's Political Participation in Turkey: Existent Barriers and Policy Recommendations for Increasing Participation
Dr. Bengi Ruken Cengiz

Despite being one of the essential conditions of democracy and the ideal of equal citizenship, gender equality remains a distant reality in today’s politics. Ensuring the “visibility&...

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Conspiracy Theories, Election Campaigns and Voter Perception
Dr. Erol Sağlam, Seren Selvin Korkmaz, Gülşen Doğan, Nevzat Taşçı

This research examines voter orientations at the intersection of conspiracy theories and election campaigns prior to the May 14, 2023 elections. For this purpose, it delves into how the growing visibi...

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The Economic Impact of the Turkish Earthquakes and Policy Options
Prof. Dr. Selva Demiralp

Turkey was hit by two massive earthquakes on February 6. Assessing the damage from the earthquakes is critical for developing policy measures to properly address the needs of the region. In this pol...

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Main Conflicts in Turkey's Foreign Policy 2022
Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu, Dr. Pınar Sayan

As Turkey’s foreign policy preferences have increasingly been an important part of the national and international agenda, the "Main Conflicts in Turkey's Foreign Policy" report was prepared for ...

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Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey 2022
Dr. Pınar Sayan, Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu

The ‘Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey’ research project is led by the Foreign Policy team at Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol). Within the scope of ...

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The Importance of Statistics Literacy in the Conduct of Economy
Dr. Cem Çakmaklı

In this analysis, Dr. Cem Çakmaklı discusses the concept of "Statistics Literacy" and its importance in policy decision-making. Dr. Çakmaklı elaborates on this relatively novel concept b...

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Youth Unemployment: Outlook and Policy Recommendations
Dr. M. Murat Kubilay

In this policy note, M. Murat Kubilay analyzes the different dimensions of youth unemployment. A record-high number of jobless young people, their striking demand for higher education, low labor force...

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Development and Poverty: The Economic Future of Turkey

The roundtable meeting, Development and Poverty: Turkey's Economic Future , organized by Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol), was held on Monday, October 17th. At the meeting, which was m...

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Women's Political Participation in Turkey: Existent Barriers and Policy Recommendations for Increasing Participation
Dr. Bengi Ruken Cengiz

In this policy note, Dr. Bengi R. Cengiz discusses the hardships female politicians encounter by focusing on the Turkish context. Cengiz investigates the structural, institutional and cultural barrier...

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Food Inflation and Agriculture in Turkey
Gökçe Şencan

In this policy note, Gökçe Şencan analyzes the recent trends in Turkey's food inflation from multiple angles compared to global trends, by crop types and food items, and in relation t...

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Central Bank Independence and Turkey’s Experience
Prof. Dr. Selva Demiralp

In this policy note, Prof. Dr. Selva Demiralp discusses the notion of “central bank indepedence” by contextualising it around Turkey’s experience. Demiralp delves into the reasons as...

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Party-State Relations in Turkey: Analysis of Political Parties Law and Policy Recommendations
Assoc. Prof. Şebnem Yardımcı-Geyikçi

In this policy note, Assoc. Prof. Şebnem Yardımcı-Geyikçi comparatively analyzes the Political Parties Law in Turkey based on the recent discussions in the relevant literature and comes up with...

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Electoral Systems in Turkey and Recommendations for a New Electoral System
Dr. Esra İşsever-Ekinci

In this policy paper, Dr. Esra İşsever-Ekinci evaluates the existing electoral systemin Turkey as well as the curre...

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Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey 2021
Dr. Pınar Sayan, Edgar Şar

The research in Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey” aims to analyze the overall approach of different voter groups towards foreign policy, and their opinions about the wea...

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Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey

The research in Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey” aims to analyze the overall approach of different voter groups towards foreign policy, and their opinions about the wea...

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Administration and Inspection of Elections: Recommendations for Free and Fair Elections
Assoc. Prof. Didem Yılmaz

(The policy note is available only in Turkish.)...

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Women’s Political Participation in Turkey: Obstacles and Experiences
Dr. Bengi Ruken Cengiz, Gülçin Karabağ, Gülşen Doğan

Research team: Dr. Bengi Ruken Cengiz, Gülçin Karabağ, Gülşen Doğan (The research report is available only in Turkish.)...

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Women’s Political Participation in Turkey: Obstacles and Experiences

Research team: Dr. Bengi Ruken Cengiz, Gülçin Karabağ, Gülşen Doğan (The research report is available only in Turkish.)...

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Women in Labor Market and Policy Recommendations
Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Aylin Bayar

In this policy note, Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Aylin Bayar discusses the role of women in the Turkish labor market by referring to main obstacles that stand in front of them. Bayar analyzes the current situat...

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Greek-Turkish Relations at the Crossroads: Cooperation or Rivalry?
Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu

The issue of Turkish-Greek relations once more came to the forefront following the most recent developments including Greece’s newly signed defence agreements, Turkey’s request to acquire ...

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Return of Syrian Refugees: International Debates and The Case of Lebanon
Dr. Derya Özkul

As the Syrian conflict enters its tenth year, the return of Syrian refugees has become one of the most important debates in the international arena, as well as in Turkey. In this analysis, Dr. Derya &...

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Policy Suggestions on the Structure and Efficiency of Turkish Court of Accounts
Uğur Tabak

(The policy note is available only in Turkish.)...

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The ‘Pure’ Nation Against The ‘Corrupt’ Outsiders: The AKP’s Populist Foreign Policy
Prof. Dr. Evren Balta

To date, the AKP’s foreign policy framework has evolved through three distinct phases: the phase of liberal internationalism characterized by a commitment to the EU and multilateralism (2002&nda...

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Populism at the Intersection of Religion and Nationalism
Dr. Bilge Yabancı

(The analysis is available only in Turkish.)...

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Green Just Transition Opportunities and Policy Suggestions for Turkey
Gökçe Şencan

This policy note offers a short recap of the Green Just Transition plans and efforts of developed economies like the US and the European Union, and looks into three sectors of interest in Turkey with ...

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Is the Populism Moment Coming to an End?
Dr. Gülfem Saydan Sanver

The populists and antidemocratic leaders have dominated the political landscape for the past decade.However, populist leaders Donald Trump in the U.S. and Netanyahu in Israel were defeated in the rece...

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United in Euroscepticism: Populist Foreign Policy in Hungary and Poland
Edit Zgut

The post-Cold war age, in particular, the Euroatlantic integration and the multiple crises of the European Union provided fertile ground for the rise of populism both in the East and the West. Researc...

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Health Inequalities in Turkey
Prof. Dr. Kayıhan Pala

Health inequalities are avoidable health disparities that adversely affect people’s health and lead to premature death. Since health is one of the most basic innate human rights, these dispariti...

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Policy Suggestions on the Parliamentary Procedure for Empowering Turkish Parliament
Assoc. Prof. Didem Yılmaz

(The policy note is available only in Turkish.)...

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Turkish-Israeli Relations in the Post-Netanyahu Era
Dr. Louis Fishman

For years, Turkey’s relations with Israel have been stalled. During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s last 12 years in power (2009-2021), the relationship has continued to hit lower and ...

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Main Conflicts in Turkey's Foreign Policy
Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu, Dr. Pınar Sayan

Changing aspects of Turkish foreign policy have long attracted both national and international attention. Some of the most significant developments include the standstill in Turkey’s accession t...

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Health Policies of Populists During COVID-19 Pandemic
Didem Seyis

Various claims have been made as to whether populist regimes will succeed in dealing with the pandemic. Particularly in the first period of the pandemic, all populists were ...

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Green Constitution in the face of the Ecological Crisis
Dr. Serkan Köybaşı

We are in a global ecological crisis. The ecosystem of the earth is collapsing. Scientific works and the changes taking place in the environment reveal that this crisis is no longer deniable. The inad...

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Employment and Precarity of Elderly Population in Turkey
Alphan Telek, Cem Özgüzel, Seren Selvin Korkmaz

Despite the fact that one out of every ten people in Turkey is 65 years old or older, the lack of requisite social policies for this age group leaves those people vulnerable. In addition, it has been ...

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Impacts of Taxation on the Distribution of Income in Turkey
Prof. Haluk Levent, Prof. Öner Günçavdı, Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Aylin Bayar

In this policy paper, Prof. Haluk Levent, Prof. Öner Günçavdı and Associate Prof. Ayşe Aylin Bayar discuss the taxation policy in Turkey and its consequences on income inequality. The...

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Rethinking the System of Government in Turkey

In the course of the processes of democratisation, institutions play a crucial role. Democracies can function effectively and overcome existential crises to the extent that th...

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Reinstatement of Rule of Law in Turkey: Proposals for an Independent and Impartial Judiciary
Assoc. Prof. Demirhan Burak Çelik

In the course of the processes of democratisation, institutions play a crucial role. Democracies can function effectively and overcome existential crises to the extent that they are institutionalised....

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A New System of Government for Turkey: Problems and Proposed Solutions
Prof. Dr. Şule Özsoy Boyunsuz, Dr. Berk Esen

In the course of the processes of democratisation, institutions play a crucial role. Democracies can function effectively and overcome existential crises to the extent that they are institutionalised....

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Now that the CAATSA’s Out of the Bag: Prospects for US-Turkey Ties Under the Biden Administration
Dr. Gönül Tol

After having held off sanctioning Turkey for the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system for more than a year, President Donald Trump had a change of heart. On his way out of office, Trum...

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The Middle East After Trump: A Reshuffling of the Cards?
Galip Dalay

The Middle East’s preparation for the Joe Biden presidency is in full gear. Saudi Arabia is patching up relations with Qatar to de-escalate tension in the Gulf. Israel, in seeking to shut the wi...

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Politics on Women under Populism and Autocratization
Dr. Bilge Yabancı

In this analysis, Dr. Bilge Yabancı investigates the relationship between right-wing populism and women through illustrative examples from Turkey and Poland. The paper examines the transformative impa...

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Pandemic Management in Turkey: The Question of Institutionalization and Institutional Memory
Assoc. Prof. Fatih Artvinli

The aim of this report is to discuss the “pandemic management” within the historical context of institutions, to evaluate institutionalization attempts regarding pandemic management, under...

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The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Importance of Risk Governance in Local Governments
İnan İzci

In this policy note, İnan İzci examines the concept of risk governance in the cities by setting a relation between disaster management and the responsibilities of municipalities. Based on the research...

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How Will Biden Strengthen the Transatlantic Alliance and How Will It Affect Turkish Foreign Policy?
Güney Yıldız

The valid expectation is that when Joe Biden becomes the 46th President of the United States, he will undo most of the damage done by President Trump and will revitalise the institutions of the Wester...

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What does Biden’s victory mean for Turkey’s relations with Russia?
Dr. Dimitar Bechev

US President Donald Trump’s four years at the White House have been a blessing for Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan squeezed out one concession after the other from his counterpart...

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Agriculture and Rural Development in Turkey: The Need for a Roadmap
Sıla Sezge Çınar

Agriculture and rural development have always been significant issues in Turkey. However, these issues have drawn much more attention since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby it is once a...

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The Populist Challenge to American Democracy: Deciphering the US Election Outcome
Selin Nasi

Joe Biden's victory against President Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential race freshened the democratic faith that a populist can actually be defeated through the ballot box. Moreover, the existe...

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An Overview of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Role and the Future of the Peace Plans
Karel Valansi

U.S. President Donald Trump claims his peace plan for Israel and Palestine conflict will prove to be the ultimate deal. In this policy note, Karel Valansi discusses the main arguments of Trump's Plan;...

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The New Order in Nagorno-Karabakh: Building an Inclusive Peace
Dr. Pınar Sayan

In this policy note, Dr. Pınar Sayan discusses the new regional order in Caucuses after the ceasefire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia brokered by Russia. (The policy note is available only in T...

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