İlter Turan (Turkey), Past President

Ilter TuranBiography

İlter Turan is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University. His research and writing cover the fields of comparative politics as well as Turkish politics and foreign policy, dealing with such diverse topics as political development, democratization, legislative behaviour, political parties, political culture, the politics of water, and aspects of foreign policy.

Mr. Turan began his academic career at Istanbul University in 1964. In 1993 he moved to Koç University and in 1998 he was appointed President of Istanbul Bilgi University. He has been a member of the Department of International Relations at Bilgi since 2001. Mr. Turan has held visiting appointments at numerous American Universities, including the universities of California (Berkeley), Iowa, Wisconsin (Madison) and Arizona, as well as St. Anthony’s College and Nuffield College (Oxford).

Mr. Turan has served as president of the Turkish Political Science Association (2000-2009) and as a member of the Executive Committee (2000-2006) and chair of the IPSA Committee on Research and Training (2003-2006). He also served as Program Chair for the 21st IPSA World Congress of Political Science held in Santiago, Chile in July 2009.

Mr. Turan is a senior columnist for the economics daily Dünya and a contributor to the On Turkey series presented by the German Marshall Fund. He is a founding trustee, trustee and/or board member of several foundations and the former chairman of the board of trustees of the Health and Education Foundation (SEV) and a member of the board of directors of the Turkish Economic and Social Research Foundation (TESAV). He also sits on several corporate boards.

Mr. Turan received his B.A. from Oberlin College (1962), his M.A. from Columbia University (1964) and his Ph.D. from Istanbul University (1966). He is married and has one daughter.