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Fatma Nur KARAMAN
January, 2007
Office Contact Information:
Department of Economics,
Istanbul Technical University
34367 Macka-Besiktas, ISTANBUL
Phone: + 90 (212) 293-1300 (2745)
Fax: + 90 (212) 224-8685
E-mail: [email protected]
Personal Information:
Date of Birth : August 23, 1982
Gender : Female
Citizenship : Turkey
Professional experience
November 2005-present
(Fall 2005-present)
(Spring 2005-present)
(Spring 2005)
(Spring 2006, Spring 2007)
(Fall 2005-present)
Research assistant, Department of Economics, Istanbul
Technical University
Teaching assistant: Economics, Department of
Economics, ITU
Teaching assistant: Macroeconomics, Assist. Prof. İpek
İlkkaracan Ajas
Teaching assistant: International Economics, Prof. Lerzan
OZKALE
Teaching assistant: Turkish Economy, Assoc. Prof. Ozgur
KAYALICA
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
Graduation with Highest Honor, 2000
Placed on the 1st rank
Umraniye Anatolian High School, Turkey
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
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: [email protected]

Professor Fatma Dogruel, Department of Economics, Marmara University, Kuyubasi-Kadikoy, 34722
Istanbul, Turkey. Email: [email protected]

Professor Suut Dogruel, Department of Economics, Marmara University, Kuyubasi-Kadikoy, 34722 Istanbul,
Turkey. Email: [email protected]
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