Fatma Nur KARAMAN

January, 2007

Office Contact Information: / Personal Information:
Department of Economics, Istanbul Technical University / Date of Birth : August 23, 1982
34367 Macka-Besiktas, ISTANBUL / Gender : Female
Phone: + 90 (212) 293-1300 (2745) / Citizenship : Turkey
Fax: + 90 (212) 224-8685
E-mail:

Professional experience

November 2005-present / Research assistant, Department of Economics, Istanbul Technical University
(Fall 2005-present) / Teaching assistant: Economics, Department of Economics, ITU
(Spring 2005-present) / Teaching assistant: Macroeconomics, Assist. Prof. İpek İlkkaracan Ajas
(Spring 2005) / Teaching assistant: International Economics, Prof. Lerzan OZKALE
(Spring 2006, Spring 2007) / Teaching assistant: Turkish Economy, Assoc. Prof. Ozgur KAYALICA
(Fall 2005-present) / Teaching assistant: Microeconomics, Assoc. Prof. Ozgur KAYALICA

Education

Marmara University, Turkey
(Expected in 2010) / Ph.D Candidate, Economics
Advisor: Prof. Fatma Dogruel
Istanbul Technical University, Turkey / M.A in Economics, with Honor, 2006
Thesis Title: “Static Effects of The Customs Union with the European Union”
Advisor: Prof. Lerzan Ozkale
Istanbul University, Turkey / B.S. in Business Administration (language of instuction: English), with Honor, 2004
Umraniye Anatolian High School, Turkey / Graduation with Highest Honor, 2000
Placed on the 1st rank

Research Interests

General: International Economics, Development Economics, Economic Growth

Specific: International Trade, Economics of Integration, Economic Convergence, Institutional Growth, Developing countries

Publications (Journal Articles)

“Static Effects of the Customs Union”, The Journal of International Trade and Diplomacy, Autumn 2006, pp. 117-138. (with Lerzan Ozkale)

Participation at Academic Meetings

“The Role of Government in Regional Convergence in Turkey”

Presented at 2008 Annual Meetings of the Middle East Economic Association, January 3-6, 2008 in New Orleans, LA, USA.

*  Marmara University, Graduate Workshops, Istanbul, Turkey, December 2006 (with “The Role of Universities in Regional Convergence in Turkey”) and June 2007 (with “Export Sophistication and Growth: Turkey & Competitors in the EU Market”)

“The Impacts Of Trade Liberalization On Regional Growth: A Case Study of Turkey”

Presented at ICMBE’07 “International Conference on Management, Business and Economics” International Conference, Istanbul, Turkey 13-17 June, 2007.

“Static Effects of the Customs Union”

- Presented at “Uluslararası Ekonomi ve Dış Ticaret Politikaları Dergisi Konferansı: Uluslararası Ekonomi ve Türkiye: Fırsatlar ve Tehditler”. (Conference of Journal of International Trade and Diplomacy: International Economics and Turkey: Opportunities and Threats), 1th June, 2006

- Presented at the Eighth Meeting of the European Trade Study Group, Vienna, 7th - 9th September, 2006.

- Istanbul Technical University, M.A. Thesis presentation, Istanbul, Turkey, June, 2006

Works in Progress and Others

*  “Export Sophistication and Growth: Turkey & Competitors in the EU Market”, (with Suut Dogruel)

*  Worked for TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council) Project: “Turkish Direct Investment Abroad: A Micro-data analysis”, (FDI Study Group: Ozgur Kayalica, Saime.Suna Kayam and Mehtap Hisarciklilar). A 41-month project to be finalized by 2009.

*  Participated in Recent Advances in Statistics: Graduate Summer School, 11th-24th August, 2007.

Scholarships and Awards

TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council) National Scholarship Program for PhD Students, 2006-present

Membership of Professional Bodies

American Economic Association

Computer Skills

Languages: Stata, SQL (Database)

Package Programs: SPSS, EVIEWS, Ms Word, Excel, PowerPoint, FrontPage, Publisher

Languages

English (fluent), Turkish (native), German (basic)

Academic References

*  Professor Lerzan Ozkale, Department of Managerial Engineering, Faculty of Management, Istanbul Technical University, Macka, 80680, Istanbul, Turkey. Email:

*  Professor Fatma Dogruel, Department of Economics, Marmara University, Kuyubasi-Kadikoy, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey. Email:

*  Professor Suut Dogruel, Department of Economics, Marmara University, Kuyubasi-Kadikoy, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey. Email:

Publications (Journal Articles)

STATIC EFFECTS OF THE CUSTOMS UNION

Abstract

Studies on the economic effects of Turkey- EU Customs Union increased considerably in the last years, as a result of the deepening of the relations between the two parties. This is mainly due to the opening of the accession negotiations between Turkey and the European Union in October 1995. The first part of this study focuses on the evaluation of Turkey’s trade figures. This study aims to investigate Turkey’s import demand function using an econometric panel data application. First the analysis was made for Turkey’s general import demand function. A good reason for that is the removal of European Community’s tariffs on its imports from Turkey in 1971 while Turkey waited the entering into force of the Customs Union in 1996 for abolishing the trade barriers to the EU. Our findings show that Turkey’s import demand is income elastic and price inelastic. The analysis was repeated for the main import sectors and empirical findings indicate that Customs Union Agreement has trade creation effects among some sectors and trade diversion effects among some others, while no effects at all could be calculated for the remaining.

Key Words: Customs Union, Static Effects, and Panel Data Modeling

JEL Codes: F14, F15

Working Papers

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN REGIONAL CONVERGENCE IN TURKEY

Abstract (First Draft)

Regional disparities are important concerns for the researchers as well as the policy makers in both developed and developing countries. The government, as a leading actor in the regional policies can create externalities through investments not only in the real sectors, but also in infrastructure and institutions. For example, investments in education (all levels education, but especially for universities), health and transportation enhance the quality of life and business environment, and trigger the development in those regions. In the paper, we define this type of government role in a particular region as “economic environment augmenting activities of the government.” We focus on two types of initiatives of the government: regional universities and the existence of an airport. The effects of universities in a region are defined in two forms: knowledge and expenditures. The paper considers the existence of manufacturing in a region in order to understand the local dynamics that can affect convergence among the regions. The paper also considers the knowledge effect of universities on manufacturing sector. The impacts of university expenditures and of the existence of an airport on the service sector are considered simultaneously. The main findings show that spending impact suppresses knowledge impact in the low income provinces. And, there is a threshold for the regional income level: The demand effect of government initiatives as state university and providing air transport has greater impact in low-income provinces.

Key Words: Regional convergence, role of government, university, panel-data modeling

JEL Codes: O18, R11, R58

EXPORT SOPHISTICATION AND GROWTH: TURKEY & COMPETITORS IN THE EU MARKET

Abstract:

The sudden rise of countries like China and India has taken serious attention among growth economists. Hausmann, Hwang and Rodrik (2006) argue that it is better to specialize in products which bring higher growth than specializing in others and propose an index that ranks traded goods in terms of their productivity, by taking a weighted average of the per capita GDPs of the countries exporting a product, where the weights reflect the revealed comparative advantage of each country in that product. Then, the income/productivity level that corresponds to a country’s export basket which measures the productivity level associated with a country’s specialization pattern is calculated using the first index. Desroches, Francis and Painchaud (2006) show that institutions affect growth in part through determining long-run comparative advantage. They construct an index (export sophistication index) to rank countries according to their comparative advantages and then this index is related to institutional quality. The authors propose reasons for China and India’s rapid economic expansion and consider implications for Canada.

By starting from the above discussions on quality of trade, this paper aims to investigate whether a more rapid progression up the comparative advantage ladder or a more sophisticated export basket results in a more rapid economic expansion. For this purpose, data from 115 countries for the years 1985 and 2001 obtained from Decroches et al.(2006) will be used. Another purpose is to drive implications for Turkey in this topic by using exploratory data analysis.

Key Words: Export sophistication, economic growth, linkages, panel modeling

JEL Codes: F11, F14, F43, O57