Evren Celik Wiltse, Ph.D.
evren.wiltse@sdstate.edu
South Dakota State University
Phone: 605-688-5101
Address: South Dakota State University Dept. of History & Political Science West Hall Box 510
City: Brookings, South Dakota - 57007
Country: United States
About Me:
I received my BA and MA degrees in Political Science & International Relations from the Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. My MA thesis was an empirical project on state-business relations in Turkey after the 1980s. Professors Yilmaz Esmer and Ayse Bugra were my advisors.
I completed my PhD at the University of Massachusttes-Amherst. My main subfield concentrations were Comparative Politics & International Relations. I completed my PhD thesis on comparative development and democratization of Turkey and Mexico. Professor Howard Wiarda (1939-2015) was my advisor. This was an historical-institutionalist study and was later published by the ECPR Press, titled: Democratic Reform and Consolidation: the cases of Mexico and Turkey.
I worked in Ankara, Turkey, prior to my position at the South Dakota State University. I received tenure and promotion to associate professorship in 2018 from SDSU. Currently, I have two major research projects: One is a manuscript on women presidents & prime ministers in the world. We work with Dr. Lisa Hager on this. My second project is on trade, specifically NAFTA and agriculture. I regularly teach courses on Current World Issues, International Relations, Democracy & Authoritarianism, and Latin American Politics. I also organize study abroad programs to Cuba and Mexico.
Research Interests
Comparative Democratization
Latin American And Caribbean Politics
Middle East & North African Politics
Gender and Politics
Countries of Interest
Turkey
Mexico
Cuba
My Research:
I have two ongoing projects: The first one is on NAFTA. Part 1 of the project was based on the papers of Senator Tom Daschle (D, SD) that were donated to the SDSU Library. Senator Daschle had played a pivotal role during the passage of NAFTA as the Senate Majority Leader. The second part of the project is a public opinion survey conducted in South Dakota, mostly with members of the farming sector.
The second project is with Dr. Lisa Hager. We're working on a book manuscript on women presidents and prime ministers in the world since the 1960s. We employ both qualitative and quantitative techniques for this project.
Publications:
Books Written:
What are the conditions for democratic improvement and consolidation? How do societies with some degree of development and democratic opening create free and open regimes? Which types of historical institutions and state-society relations help foster this? What is the role of international actors? Which forms of international engagement enhance the prospects of democratic progress and consolidation, and which hinder it? This book tackles those questions. By homing in on two pivotal countries, Mexico and Turkey, Evren Çelik Wiltse analyses the dynamics of democratic progress and consolidation from a comparative historical perspective. 'This wonderful book breaks new ground in cross-cultural comparison. Bridging language, cultural, and geographic boundaries, Çelik Wiltse compares two big, important countries bordering on even bigger economies. Both started modernising under traditional regimes, both had revolutions in the early twentieth century out of which emerged new development-oriented regimes, both pursued import substitution industrialisation, both are now liberalising, democratising, and globalising. Kudos to the author for undertaking this pioneering comparative work.' Howard J Wiarda, Center for Strategic and International Studies 'This is an important contribution to the literature on hybrid political regimes; those located between authoritarian systems and fully consolidated democracies. The book represents an illuminating account of how different forms of engagement with key external actors have succeeded in advancing the frontiers of democracy far better in Mexico than in Turkey over recent years. One of the book's central – but paradoxical – conclusions is that indirect conditionality through greater economic openness and societal interaction between Mexico and the United States has been more effective in promoting democracy in Mexico than the limited impact of direct EU conditionality in the Turkish context.' Ziya Öniş, Professor of International Political Economy, Koç University
Media Appearances:
TV Appearances:
Interview on NAFTA archives