Knowledge, power and the construction of the political sphere: Think tanks in Turkey

The aim of this thesis is to examine the think tanks that have become widespread after the 2000s in Turkey. These organizations have a significant power as to create a "sector of ideas" in the US and Western European countries. In this study, the think tanks in Turkey are investigated whether they have any influence on social, political and economic sphere. Based on the literature and the findings, it can be said that there is a consensus on the emergence of new forms of knowledge production with the effect of globalization and information society. Universities are traditional, but think tanks represent new forms of knowledge production. Despite of their developed literature in the world, Turkey's the think tanks' literature is limited and there are some publications in article forms. This study, which is based on a theoretical reaserch and qualitative datas, aims to contribute to the literature with the scope, the information it can access, and the findings made. It is revealed that think thanks in Turkey have lack of financial resources, usually carry out activities on current affairs, fail to distance themselves from economic and political powers and hold a less critical positions. Although think thanks have grown rapidly since the 2000s, their impact on political and economic sphere are still limited. However, given the pace and the growth of think thanks in Turkey, this thesis argues that think thanks are expected to play a more important role in the shaping and reshaping of the political and economic sphere in Turkey. Keywords: Think Tanks, Globalization and Localization, Knowledge Society, The New Knowledge Production, Relation of Power and Knowledge