conference

Thanks everyone for coming to our conference! You can download the Turkish versions of most of the presentations by clicking on the presentation names on this page.

Date: June 15-16, 2012

Place: Koç University Sevgi Gönül Cultural Center

In the process of rapid social change that has been taking place for decades, the field of social policy only recently received attention in Turkey. The ongoing reform processes in the fields of health, social security, social assistance and education indicate the need for scientific data collection and research on social policy issues. Processes and phenomena such as migration, rural and urban poverty, social exclusion, unemployment, child and youth well-being, gender equality, aging and disabilities demonstrate the importance of the development, planning and provision of social assistance and social services.

The conference, aiming to foster a debate on practices, challenges and existing research in the field of social policy, is co-organized by The Ministry of Family and Social Policy, Koç University Social Policy Center and the World Bank Turkey Country Office. Based on a broad definition of social policy including social inclusion and human development, the aim of the conference is to determine systematic data gathering needs, adequate data collection methods and the priorities for scholarly research. The conference also aims to provide a basis for collaborations between public institutions, civil society organizations and universities. Within this scope, this conference will gather social policy researchers, social policy advocates among civil society organizations and public institutions which are responsible for policy design, implementation and data collection.