Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM)

Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM)
Name	Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM)
Native name	Ekonomi ve Dış Politika Araştırmaları Merkezi
Formation	2009
Founder	Ali Babacan
Type	Think tank
Location	Istanbul, Turkey
Leader title	President
Leader name	Nilhan Oztur

Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) is a Istanbul-based Turkish think tank focusing on economic policy, foreign policy and international relations analysis. Founded in 2009, EDAM engages with policymakers, academics and media across Ankara, Brussels, Washington, D.C. and Geneva to produce research, commentary and events. The institute has participated in discussions related to European Union–Turkey relations, NATO cooperation, Gulf Cooperation Council dynamics and regional initiatives involving Russia, China, United States and Middle East actors.

History

EDAM was established in 2009 amid debates over Justice and Development Party (Turkey) economic reforms, Global Financial Crisis of 2008–2009 aftereffects and shifting ties between Turkey and European Union. Early founding networks included figures linked to Ankara policy circles and former officials associated with Ministry of Treasury and Finance (Turkey), prompting collaborations with institutions such as Center for European Policy Studies, Brookings Institution, Chatham House and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Over the 2010s EDAM expanded its profile by issuing policy briefs on topics intersecting Turkish Armed Forces posture, Eastern Mediterranean dispute negotiations, and trade relationships with Russia–Turkey relations, China–Turkey relations and United States–Turkey relations.

Mission and Activities

EDAM states a mission to inform decision-makers on strategic choices involving Ankara's external orientation, bilateral relations with Germany, France, Greece, and multilateral engagement with NATO and United Nations. Activities include producing policy briefs, organizing seminars with scholars from Bilkent University, Koç University, Sabancı University, hosting roundtables with delegations from European Commission, and advising parliamentary groups in Grand National Assembly of Turkey. EDAM convenes conferences addressing issues such as Cyprus dispute, Black Sea security, Eastern Mediterranean gas exploration, and fiscal frameworks touching on relations with International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The leadership of EDAM has included scholars and former officials tied to Turkish reform networks, with an executive team coordinating research programs, communications and outreach to capitals like Brussels, London, Moscow, and Beijing. Governance involves a board of trustees and advisory councils drawing experts from institutions such as Middle East Technical University, Istanbul Technical University, Yıldız Technical University, and international partner centers like German Marshall Fund, Atlantic Council, and Lowy Institute. EDAM has appointed program directors to lead thematic units on energy, trade, security, and diplomacy, often engaging visiting fellows from Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, and Sciences Po.

Research Areas and Publications

EDAM publishes research on topics linking energy security debates in the Eastern Mediterranean to trade corridors involving Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, shipping through Bosporus Strait, and infrastructure initiatives akin to Belt and Road Initiative. Its output includes policy papers, op-eds in outlets such as Hürriyet Daily News, briefings for missions to European Parliament committees, and working papers addressing sanctions regimes and regional realignments involving Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. EDAM's publication series has analyzed fiscal-monetary intersections relevant to Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey policy, comparative studies on Nord Stream implications, and scenario planning related to Syrian Civil War spillovers. Collaborations have produced co-authored reports with scholars from Stanford University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, and regional experts from Bilkent University and Istanbul Şehir University.

Partnerships and Influence

EDAM maintains partnerships with international and regional institutions including European Council on Foreign Relations, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Atlantic Council, Carnegie Europe, and national ministries. It has hosted delegations from Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, briefed delegations from U.S. Department of State, and contributed analyses cited in briefings by members of European Parliament and committees within NATO Parliamentary Assembly. EDAM researchers have spoken at forums such as Munich Security Conference, World Economic Forum, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute events, and regional summits involving Organization of Islamic Cooperation delegates. Its influence is visible in public debates on EU–Turkey Customs Union modernization, Eastern Mediterranean maritime delimitation talks, and strategic communications during crises involving Idlib Governorate and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dynamics.

Funding and Governance

EDAM's funding model combines private donations, project grants, and commissioned studies supported by foundations, corporate sponsors, and international organizations. Donors and partners have included philanthropic foundations active in Turkey and Europe as well as program grants linked to European Union initiatives, multilateral agencies like United Nations Development Programme, and research funds from universities such as Bilkent University and Koç University. Governance practices involve an internal audit function, oversight by a board linked to academic and policy networks, and compliance mechanisms aligned with Turkish legal frameworks and reporting to authorities in Istanbul.

Category:Think tanks in Turkey