TESEV, full name TÜRKİYE EKONOMİK VE SOSYAL ETÜDLER VAKFI (TURKISH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STUDIES FOUNDATION), strategic studies institution founded in 1994, which is among the civil society organizations supported by the
Vehbi Koç Foundation.
TESEV goes back to the Economic and Social Studies Conference Delegation (ESEKH) pioneered by Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı in 1961 and known as the Conference Delegation for short. At the time, it not only created debate in a variety of topics but also endeavored to facilitate decision-making processes through its activities and publications. The need to develop policies based on the findings that emerged in the 1990s triggered the transformation of the Conference Delegation in 1994 into TESEV, a “strategic study institution” based on the wealth and accumulation of past experience. Between its founding in 1994 and 2004, TESEV published substantial reports on poverty, economy and sectoral policies. At the start of 2004, a decision was taken to focus on democratization, good governance, transparency and foreign policy. Consequently, consultation councils and program teams were formed and funding sources diversified and broadened.
As of February 2015, when the new Board took over, TESEV’s new research areas were redefined as democratization, good governance, social inequalities and inclusion, sustainable cities and foreign policy.
Today, it aims to expand the diversity of research topics by leveraging the wealth of scholars within and without TESEV. A research network bringing together the world of academia and society at large has been created to this end. The research results are published as policy notes and reports are conveyed to stakeholders via a variety of channels.
A 2017 report on global think tanks ranked TESEV 77th worldwide (39th on the non-US table) in impact on public policy, 34th in the best external relations and public engagement programs, 44th in the science and technology table, 8th in the Middle East and North Africa, 27th among think tanks with the most significant impact on public policy and 42nd among the institutions that make the best use of media.