areas > socıal polıcy

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We are studying strategies for making social interventions and policies more effective and efficient and are informing policy makers with reliable evidence on which programs achieve the desired results. 

Our approach to social programs is to treat them as products with social value and content. By treating them as social products,in which substantive resources are invested, we objectively evaluate them using state-of-the-art methodology. We test if the program works, check if there are any adverse program effects, use optimization tools to make changes and adjustment to the program to make it more cost- and outcome effective. 

We believe that the path to achieve better results through social programs is not only through increasing public expenditure, but also using the programs that are shown to be most efficient and effective in changing the targeted outcomes. 
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​Our scientific projects support the following steps in creating effective social interventions:
  • Analyze the situation and identify risk and protective factors associated with the targeted outcome.
  • Determine which groups of individuals will benefit from which types of interventions (such as gender-specific interventions) and also which groups will benefit from the intervention the most. 
  • Review the existing programs and strategies and make a catalog of evidence-based practices implemented in similar contexts around the world. 
  • If interventions are going to be transported from other countries or regions, conduct a feasibility and adaptability study.
  • Conduct a rigorous impact evaluation for the pilot implementation and effectively evaluate the impact estimates with regard to cost- and outcome effectiveness to inform the decision on the dissemination of the piloted intervention. 
  • Analyze if all program components work effectively to revise or delete the counterproductive components. 
  • Conduct program optimization experiments (such as A/B testing, incorporating behavioral nudges, optimization of program delivery features).  ​

Some examples of social interventions that can be rigorously evaluated and optimized are:
  • Temporary family assistance programs for families at risk
  • Employment strategies for youth with disabilities
  • Supportive intervention programs for children in the justice system
  • Violence against women prevention programs​

Education

Health

Child and Youth

Social Policy

​Workforce Development
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Comparative Regression Discontinuity Design: A New Alternative

​In these series of scientific publications, we develop and test the performance of a new variant of regression discontinuity design that is considered as the best quasi-experimental approach in program evaluation. 
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The Daddy Impact: What are the Protective and Risk Factors for Being an Engaged Father?

Engaged and supporting fathering has a great impact on children’s development. Using a large and representative sample of fathers in Turkey (principal investigator: AÇEV; project funder: Bernard van Leer Foundation), this paper examines the individual, family, and societal factors predicting positive fathering.​ 
​​Details coming soon...
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Children in Institutionalized Care: Developmental Effects

The unfavorable effects of residential care on child outcomes have been well-established in the literature. Yet, there is no study to date that investigates how social and cognitive competencies of institutionalized children change over time. In this study, led by  Child and Family Studies Laboratory, we examine whether the developmental change within one year in social (social competence, aggressive behavior, and social withdrawal), socio-cognitive (theory of mind), and cognitive (executive function and language) domains differs with respect to rearing context using data from 3-5 years old institution-reared and parent-reared children.  
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The Science of Fatherhood: Promoting Stronger Families and Child Outcomes

Using a large and representative sample of fathers, we implement a latent class analysis to identify types of fathers in Turkey. The study aims to inform social policy and intervention to implement effective parenting interventions in more traditional patriarchal cultures. 
Details coming soon...