Kemal Derviş is a non-resident part-time senior advisor at Istanbul Policy Center. Derviş is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution and the Edward M. Bernstein Scholar. He was the vice president and director of the program from April 2009 to November 2017. Formerly, he was the executive head of the United Nations Development Programme and chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programs, and departments working on development issues at the country level. In 2001–2002, as Minister of Economic Affairs and the Treasury of Turkey, Derviş was responsible for launching Turkey’s successful recovery from a devastating financial crisis. He is a member of various advisory boards including Institut du Bosphore, Institut de Prospective Economique du Monde Méditerranéen (IPEMED), Center for Global Development, Office Chérifien des Phosphates, and Criteria Caixa. His work focuses on global economics, emerging markets, European issues, development, and international institutions.
Prior to his tenure as Minister of Economic Affairs, Derviş had a 22-year career at the World Bank, where he served as vice president for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management in 2000 and as vice president for the Middle East and North Africa in 1996-2000. At the World Bank, he notably managed work on the transition of Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, trade and financial sector policies in emerging markets, and the reconstruction of Bosnia.
From the end of 2002 until the summer of 2005, Derviş was a member of the Turkish parliament, representing his native city of Istanbul. During that period Derviş was one of two Turkish representatives to the Convention of the Future of Europe. Since then, he has participated in various international and European task forces and networks, such as the Global Progressive Forum, the Progressive Governance Network, the Task Force on Global Public Goods, and the Commission on Growth and Development, sponsored by the World Bank.
He has published many articles in academic journals as well as current affairs publications. He has a monthly column published by Project Syndicate. A comprehensive collection of these articles has been published by the Brookings Press, Reflections on Progress: Essays on the Global Political Economy. He has co-authored or co-edited various books published by the Brookings Press including Inequality in America and Asia and Policymaking for the Global Economy. A book entitled A Better Globalization, focusing on global economic governance issues, was published by Brookings Press for the Center for Global Development in 2005.
Derviş earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and his Ph.D. from Princeton University. Derviş started teaching economics at the Middle East Technical University in 1974 and has since taught several years at Princeton University in the late 1970s and as an adjunct professor at Columbia University from 2009–2015.
Can Biden Save the World?
Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's analysis "Can Biden Save the World?" was published in Project Syndicate on October 7, 2020.
The Covid-19 Solidarity Test
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş’s analysis “The Covid-19 Solidarity Test” was published in April 2020. The article was originally published in Project Syndicate.
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When Climate Activism and Nationalism Collide
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş’s analysis “When Climate Activism and Nationalism Collide” was published in January 2020. The article was originally published in Project Syndicate.
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Which Way Now for the EU?
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's analysis "Which Way Now for the EU?" was published on July 25, 2019. The article was originally published in Project Syndicate.
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Are Technology and Globalization Destined to Drive Up Inequality?
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş and Global Economy and Development Program Fellow Laurence Chandy's report Are Technology and Globalization Destined to Drive Up Inequality? was published in Brookings Institute on October 5, 2016.
Reflections on Progress: Essays on the Global Political Economy
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş’s book Reflections on Progress: Essays on the Global Political Economy was published in September 2016 with Brookings Institution Press.
European Integration with or without Britain
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's article "European Integration with or without Britain" was published in The Brookings Institution on June 9, 2016.
Is Uber a Threat to Democracy?
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's analysis "Is Uber a Threat to Democracy?" was published in Project Syndicate on July 23, 2015.
Global Turkey in Europe: Political, Economic, and Foreign Policy Dimensions of Turkey's Evolving Relationship with the EU
(July 2012 - March 2013)
This research paper explores how the EU and Turkey can enhance their cooperation in the political, economic, and foreign policy domains and how they can find a way out of the stalemate EU-Turkey relations have reached with the lack of progress in accession negotiations and the increasing uncertainty over both the future of the European project after the Eurozone crisis and Turkey's role in it.
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Turkey and Europe, a New Perspective
Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's policy brief "Turkey and Europe, a New Perspective" was published in Global Turkey in Europe in November 2012.
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Will Ukraine's Tragedy Spur UN Security Council Reform?
Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş and Jose Antonia Ocampo's article "Will Ukraine's Tragedy Spur UN Security Council Reform?" was published in Project Syndicate on March 3, 2022. Please click here to read the article.
The Democratic Threat to Democracy
Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's article "The Democratic Threat to Democracy" was published in Project Syndicate on December 31, 2021. Please click here to read the article.
Biden's Two Types of Multilateralism
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's commentary "Biden's Two Types of Multilateralism" was published in Project Syndicate on September 8, 2021.
The Carbon Price Conundrum
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's article "The Carbon Price Conundrum" was published in Project Syndicate on August 11, 2021.
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The Key to Global Climate Success
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş and Senior Research Analyst Sebastián Strauss's article "The Key to Global Climate Success" was published in Project Syndicate on July 15, 2021. Please click here to read the article.
The Post-Trump Reconstruction of America and the World
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's commentary "The Post-Trump Reconstruction of America and the World" was published in Project Syndicate on January 18, 2021.
Keep Climate Commitments Voluntary
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's analysis "Keep Climate Commitments Voluntary" was published in Brookings on December 29, 2020. Please click here to read the analysis.
Less Globalization, More Multilateralism
Non-Resident Part-Time Senior Advisor Kemal Derviş's analysis "Less Globalization, More Multilateralism" was published in Project Syndicate on June 10,2020. Please click here to read the analysis.
Turkey and the EU after the Election
The roundtable meeting on “Turkey and the EU after the Election” was held at Bruegel, Brussels on June 10, 2015.
Negotiating Political Power in Turkey: Breaking up the Party
The book launch of Negotiating Political Power in Turkey: Breaking up the Party by Elise Massicard and Nicole F. Watts took place on October 10, 2013 at IPC Karakoy.
Welcoming of the 2013/14 Mercator-IPC Fellows
Welcoming of the 2013/14 Mercator-IPC Fellows took place on October 7, 2013 at Cezayir Restaurant. Welcoming remarks were given by IPC Director Fuat Keyman and Stiftung Mercator President Bernhard Lorentz.
In the panel organized under the framework of welcoming event; IPC Executive Board Member and Brookings Institute Vice President Kemal Derviş, École des hautes études en sciences sociales Professor and Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow Nilüfer Göle, 2013/14 Mercator-IPC Fellow Kerem Öktem, Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow and Former Member of the German Parliament Ruprecht Polenz and IPC Director Fuat Keyman had a discussion titled “Turkey in Europe: Living Together and Democratization.”
Welcoming Event for the 2012/13 Mercator – IPC Fellows
On September 25, 2012 the welcoming event for the first Mercator-IPC Fellows took place in Istanbul. The event opened with the warm welcoming remarks of Nihat Berker, President of Sabanci University, Bernhard Lorentz, President of Stifung Mercator, and Fuat Keyman, IPC Director. Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow Cem Özdemir, Co-Chairman of the German green party “Alliance 90/The Greens”, gave a keynote speech entitled “Europe at the Crossroads: Why Turkey Matters”. Subsequently, the 2012/13 Mercator – IPC Fellows were introduced through short video clips.
The ensuing panel discussion, entitled “A Silver Lining: German – Turkish Cooperation in Turbulent Times,” offered an intellectually stimulating debate between Kemal Dervis, Member of the IPC Executive Board and Vice President of the Brookings Institution, Ömer Madra, Mercator – IPC Senior Fellow and Co-Founder of Acik Radyo, Secil Pacaci Elitok, Mercator – IPC Fellow, and Ambassador Klaus Scharioth (ret.), Dean of the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs and Member of the IPC’s International Advisory Council. The discussion was chaired by Ayse Kadioglu, Senior Scholar at IPC and Professor at Sabanci University.
Varieties of Capitalism in Emerging Countries
On June 9-10, 2012 IPC co-organized with Sabancı University the workshop “Varieties of Capitalism in Emerging Countries” at its Karaköy Headquarters. Executive Board Member Kemal Derviş delivered the keynote speech in the event organized by Sabancı University Associate Professor Işık Özel.
The IPC‐Bruegel Dialogue on the Future of the Euro Zone
IPC, in coordination with Bruegel, organized a roundtable meeting on the Future of the Euro Zone, in September 16, 2011.
The 7th Sakıp Sabancı Lecture
IPC and the Brookings Institution co-organized the Seventh Annual Sakıp Sabancı Lecture, which featured a keynote speech by Javier Solana, the former EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy. Solana offered his views on the recent developments concerning Turkey, Europe, and the world today. He emphasized that though Turkey and the EU should work together beyond negotiations at the table, the relationship should thrive at a deeper level. IPC Senior Adviser and Vice President and Director of Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution Kemal Derviş commented on Solana’s remarks, “It’s important to remember that the EU accession project is not just an end in itself, but a big step to a better global order for tomorrow.” Ayşe Kadıoğlu moderated a lively discussion among the audience at Sabancı University which connected to the lecture via teleconference in Istanbul. Headed by Kadıoğlu, the thought-provoking questions by Sabancı University students impressed the audience in both Washington and Istanbul.
