Research Center for Social Thought & Policy

ILKE ingilizice site TODAM Sayfas

Research Centre for Social Thought and Policy (TODAM); was founded to realize the goal of a just, equitable and prosperous society. In addition to contributing to the social thought, it aims at proposing practicable solutions to the contemporary social challenges. We aim to witness the different dimensions of social change on the basis of knowledge and to bring solutions to social problems on the axis of common values and benefits. The activities we carry out at TODAM are based on a realistic understanding and constructive approach to current social issues from the lens of social sciences. In this way, we act as a bridge between researchers, decision-makers and civil society; and advance the possibility of producing independent knowledge about the social world we live in.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Sosyal Veri (Social Data Platform)

Sosyal Veri platform is a data and analysis platform that follows and presents Turkey's social outlook with detailed data on every subject. We present data and analyses on many different areas from family to working life, from economy to law, from education to culture for the benefit of users. Sosyal Veri has 13 main categories, 106 sub-categories, more than 200 analyses and over a thousand graphs as of February 2023. These numbers are updated and increased every week. In addition, we examine social issues with inclusive analyses based on data. Our aim is to shed light on Turkey's social issues and deepen research with comparative data compiled from national and international open and reliable sources. The graphics and analyses we present on Sosyal Veri are also published in a bulletin with a different topic every week. We also circulate Sosyal Veri content on social media with daily posts. In this sense, Sosyal Veri is Turkey's unique data bank.

Field Monitoring Reports: The Outlook of Society

Starting in 2020, we are reporting the annual outlook of current social dynamics. The first output of the Sosyal Veri project, the Outlook of Society report, was published in 2021; the unique value of the first report was that it included 10 years of retrospective data and focus analysis on every social subject. In the newly published Outlook of Society 2022 report, we tried to develop a comprehensive perspective on the theme of "Post-Pandemic Society" by focusing on a very current issue. In the first section, we depicted the outlook of society in 16 different categories through more than 200 significant indicators, graphs and comparisons:

Population, Households, Family, Social Groups, Education, Economy, Labour and Employment, Work and Occupations, Welfare and Inequality, Health, Law, Urban, Rural, Migration, Life and Culture, Media and Communication. We have also analysed the prominent indicators under these headings, each of which is actually a separate research field. While the medical dimension of the pandemic has receded from our lives, its social dimensions continue to be effective in every field. For this reason, we decided that it is necessary to discuss what kind of social landscape we are facing in the transition to the post-pandemic period and what should be learned from the pandemic experience. In the second part of the report, we presented expert articles evaluating the issues of health, family, education, working life and inequalities from this perspective. The Outlook of Society reports will continue to evaluate the transition to the post-pandemic period with a data-based perspective for researchers, policymakers, civil society and sectors with their main findings and recommendations under a new theme each year.

Law Monitoring Report

Field Monitoring Reports are annual publications that aim to analyze and compile current data and studies in the fields of Economy, Education, Law and Society and transform them into usable information. These reports present the most prominent events over a period of time within the framework of a specific theme in a data-driven manner together with expert opinions.

Law is a field that is always on the national agenda, concerns all segments of society and has an impact on all aspects of life. At the same time, it cannot be defined by reducing it only to the judicial process and is also related to economic, psychological and sociological processes and dynamics. For these reasons, Law Monitoring Report takes a holistic perspective on the field of law and is prepared with an interdisciplinary approach, particularly sociology and economics. Launched in 2019, the report was last published with the theme "The Access to Justice in Turkey".

Policy Notes

We believe it is crucial to identify the social problems on Turkey's and the world's agenda and to develop policy recommendations for solutions. For this purpose, we regularly prepare policy notes with the contributions of experts and researchers from relevant disciplines. We publish more than 10 policy briefs every year. As of February 2023, we have published a total of 46 policy briefs so far. The titles of the policy notes we have recently published and are in the process of publication are as follows: Expansion of Higher Education and Employability in Turkey (In progress), Aging in Rural Areas: An Emerging Phenomenon (In progress)

Analysis Reports

Analysis Reports are reports prepared with the contributions of experts and researchers from related disciplines, in which social problems on the agenda of Turkey and the world are identified and analyzed in depth with concrete data. As of February 2023, we have published a total of 10 analysis reports.

The analysis reports we have recently published are as follows:

Seminars

We organize seminars given by expert researchers on the topics highlighted in our policy briefs and analysis reports. TODAM seminars are open to undergraduate and graduate students, and demonstrate the possibility of productive public debate and the chance to develop common understanding.

The Platform

Since January 2021, we have prepared the Bulletin of Intellectual Streams in the Muslim World in both Turkish and English. In this monthly bulletin, we aimed to provide up-to-date and original perspectives on the intellectual, political, social, economic and cultural agendas of Muslim societies. From Malaysia to the USA, we have compiled the contemporary issues of Muslims with analyses prepared by experts. As of its 25th issue, the bulletin continues its publication life with a new title as The Platform magazine. In addition to the magazine, we have also launched an active and dynamic website. The Platform's website includes a unique database; contemporary movements, personalities, institutions, NGOs, research centres and activities from the Muslim world will be regularly followed, compiled and presented. The contributions of the Muslim world to global issues and its ongoing intellectual accumulation will be presented to the world through the Platform.

Voices from the Muslim World

The Platform website also presents the Voices from the Muslim World program series.

Prepared and presented by Ahsan Shafiq, ILKE's international outreach executive, the program features in-depth interviews with prominent figures from the Muslim world. We conduct interviews with academics, politicians, activists and journalists working on the social problems of the Muslim world and share them on The Platform website and ILKE’s Youtube channel. Recent guests of the program have been Basil Mustafa, Ovamir Anjum, Paul Williams, Adeel Malik, Omar Suleiman. We discuss the main issues that resonate widely in the Islamic world together with thinkers from different Muslim communities and build a common understandig.

The Migration of Art

The Migration of Art is an attempt to set aside the negative images surrounding the phenomenon of migration, which has been on Turkey's agenda for a while, and to focus on the opportunities and possibilities created by cultural diversity. The project is planned to explore the stories of migration and survival of artists who have migrated to Turkey and who work in different fields by using surface, volume, space, language, and sound; how their experiences have affected their art, what their new lives are like and what kind of contributions they have made to the field of art in Turkey. In this respect, 25 artists who have remarkable impress in their field were interviewed. The project outputs are a feature-length documentary film, 25 mini-documentaries and a project workshop paper.