I am an Assistant Professor at Bilkent University, Department of International Relations.
My research is at the intersection of international relations and political economy. I study how political actors sustain cooperation and political order when trust is fragile and promises are difficult to enforce. I an interested in how the very arrangements that facilitate cooperation can also generate incentives to exploit it—perhaps by coasting on a good reputation, leveraging asymmetric mutual dependence for personal gain, or exercising power to shape enforcement institutions. I examine how such dynamics affect who benefits from cooperation and the conditions under which cooperation is sustained.
I work on these themes across diverse settings, from interstate conflict and foreign investment to political violence and struggles over institutions, rights, and social status. I mostly use formal models, alongside quantitative and qualitative empirical methods.
I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Research
Publications
- “Reputation and Commitment: When States Exploit Their Reputation, and When They Refrain.” British Journal of Political Science. Forthcoming. [Preprint]
- “Reputations and Change in International Relations." International Studies Quarterly. 2024. 68(3): sqae097. [Preprint]
- “Citizen Expectations, Agency Reputation, and Public Service Quality” with Evrim Tan. Public Management Review. 2023.
- ‘‘Shift-of-axis in Turkish Foreign Policy: Turkish National Role Conceptions Before and During AKP Rule.''. Turkish Studies. 2015. 16(3): 291-309.
Book Project
- Accidental Use of Force in International Relations with Muhammet A. Baş and Ömer F. Örsün. Under contract with Cambridge University Press, Elements Series in International Relations.
Working Papers
- “Mobilization, Repression, and the Choice between Violent and Nonviolent Tactics."
- “When ‘Sorry’ Means a Lot” with Muhammet A. Baş and Ömer F. Örsün.
- “Conflict, Social Order, and Mutual Dependence in Production” with Tanguy Le Fur.
- “International Status Concerns Shape Domestic Attitudes Toward Women” with Çağlayan Başer.
- “Framing Women’s Rights and Support for Gender Equality in the Middle East” with Çağlayan Başer and Yusuf Magiya.
Work in Progress
- “Bargaining Under Threat.”
- “Reputation for Resolve Across Contexts in Alliances” (with M. Bas and O. Orsun)
- “Fighting, Bargaining, and Commitment Problems.”
- “Uncertainty and War? It is Commitment All the Way Down.”
Contact
- ekrem.baser@bilkent.edu.tr
- Bilkent University, International Relations Department, Ankara, 06800, Turkey