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Fikret Şenses
( In te rv i e w: S e pt e mb er 20 1 4)
W hat dre w yo u to ec on om ic s ? H as t her e
be e n a p art ic u l ar s c ho l ar t ha t i ns p ir e d
yo u ?
It was r at he r b y c ha n c e t ha n c ho ic e t ha t I
bec am e a n ec on om is t a nd h a v e e nj o ye d
be i n g o n e e v er s i nc e . As a te e na g er , I
was i nt er es t e d in s oc ia l s c i enc es i n
ge n er al .
Am on g
th e
go v er nm en t
s c ho l ars h ips o n of f er to s tu d y i n E ng l a nd ,
th e n ear es t t o m y l ik i ng wa s Ec on om ic s ,
s o ec on om ic s i t was to b e . Ye ar s a go , I
ha d o ver h e ard a c l os e r e la t i ve r em ar k tha t
th e b es t c ar e er p at h f or a yo u ng p er s o n
wo u ld b e t o s t ud y ec o nom ic s a t L S E . T ha t
m ight ha v e als o b e en at t he bac k of m y
m ind.
I s t i l l r e ga rd t he op p or tu n it y I wa s g i ve n t o
s tu d y i n En g l an d f or s o lo n g as a c h a nc e
of a l if e t im e. I s t i l l f ee l i n de bt e d t o m y
c ou n tr y, s uf f eri n g at t he tim e f r om s ev er e
f or e ig n ex c h an g e s h or ta g es , f or th is .
As a n un d ergr a d ua te s tu de n t, I ha d t h e
op p ort u n it y t o l is t e n to wor ld c las s
ec o n om is ts l ik e S o l o w, J oa n Ro b i ns o n ,
Har r o d, H ic k s , L i ps e y, an d i n la te r l if e , m y
pa t h c r os s e d wi t h G r a ham P ya t t ( m y
ad v is or a t W arwic k ) , A. I. M ac B ea n ( m y
ad v is or a t L a nc as t e r ) , H la M yi n t ( m y
s up er v is or
at
L S E) ,
S am ue ls o n,
Mo d i g li a n i, Se n , B ha g wa t i ( m y c o u nt er pa rt
at Co l um bi a) an d Kr u gm an wh o wer e al l
im por ta nt s ourc es of i ns p ir at i o n.
A l l m y t eac h ers , t o whom I wo u ld l ik e t o
ex pr es s m y gr at i tu d e, h a ve c o nt r i b ut e d t o
m y c a re er i n d if f er e nt wa ys . Yo u wo u l d
per h a ps be s ur pr is e d to h e ar t h at o n e
per s o n wh o c o ntr i b ut e d m os t t o m y c ar eer
as a t e ac h er was C ar l T o be y, m y En g l is h
te ac her in m y f ir s t ye ar of j un i or h i gh
s c ho o l.
Yo u g o t yo u r P hD a t L o nd o n Sc ho o l of
Ec on om ic s . W hat wer e L S E ye a r s l ik e ?
W hat was yo ur d is s er t at i on on ?
M y c h o ic e of LS E f or gr a d ua t e s tu d y,
am ong s e ver a l ot h er go o d of f er s , wa s on e
of t he b es t dec is i ons I h a ve e v er m ade .
L S E was (a n d pr ob a b l y s t i l l is ) v er y m uc h
at t h e c e nt er of t hi n gs . I t was n ot o n l y a
pres t ig i o us ac a dem ic c en te r, bu t a ls o t h e
c en t er of p o l it ic a l ac t i v it y of a l l s ha d es of
l ef tis t wor ld v i e w. Me e ti n g br i g ht yo u n g m en
an d wom en f rom dif f ere n t c or n ers of t he
wor l d
( i nc lu d i ng
T urk e y) ,
full
of
de t erm in at i on to c ha n ge th e wor l d to m ak e i t
a b et te r p lac e , e ng a g i ng i n h ot de b at es o v er
l em on t e a (d ef i n it e l y, or s h ou l d on e s a y
unf ort un a te l y, n ot o ve r rak ı), a nd s om et im es
a p in t of b it ter . It is a p ar t of m y l if e I
rem em ber wi t h n os t a l g ia . (“N os t a lg i a is no t
wh at it us e d t o b e”, as gr af f it i o n a n L S E
wa l l o nc e r ea d! ).
L ik e m os t c o l le a gu es , I f elt m ore or l es s
ob l i ge d t o t h i nk an d wr it e o n T urk e y. M y
d is s er ta t i on
was
a i m ed
at
a
c r it ic a l
as s es s m e nt
of
T urk e y’ s
tr a de
and
i nd us tr i a l i za t io n p o l ic i es d uri n g 1 95 0 - 7 0.
Yo u ha v e b ee n wor k ing in D e v e lo pm en t
Ec on om ic s . W hat m ak es i t s o s i gn if ic a nt ?
It is a ver y i nt er es t i n g an d im por ta n t s u bj ec t
th at de a ls wi t h d ee p - s ea t ed pr o b lem s l ik e
Department of Economics Newsletter
3