Collegiate Affiliation
Political Science
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I am a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My research interests straddle comparative politics and political economy, encompassing issues related to social welfare provision, authoritarian politics, Turkish politics, and the political economy of the Middle East and North Africa.

My dissertation explores the political dynamics propelling the emergence and consolidation of authoritarian welfare states. It develops a theory by examining the patterns of social welfare provision in three autocracies—Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey—and tests the implications of this theory in a broader sample of autocratic regimes. My case study analysis draws on archival materials (from Turkish and Tunisian National Archives and British National Archives) and elite interviews. The quantitative analysis utilizes two original datasets that cover 149 countries in the period of 1870 and 2018.

I also work on a project (with Teri L. Caraway) that explores the politics of the minimum wage. Drawing on two original databases of minimum wages and labor mobilization across 101 countries and five case studies (Turkey, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia), this project explores the factors propelling the substantial minimum wage increases in the Global South in the 21st century.

My research has appeared in the Journal of European Social Policy, World Development, and Social Indicators Research.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • MA: Public Policy, Sabanci University, 2013-2014
  • B.Sc.: Political Science and Public Administration, Middle East Technical University, 2008-2013

Specialties

  • Social Welfare
  • Authoritarian Politics
  • Nationalism and Nation-Building
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Turkish Politics
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods