Ümit Akcay

Ümit Akcay is a Professor of Economics at the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin) and a researcher at the Institute for International Political Economy (IPE Berlin) since 2017. He previously held academic positions at Istanbul Bilgi University, Atılım University, and METU in Turkey (2016–2017), New York University’s Department of Politics and MEIS (2012–2015), and Ordu University’s Department of Economics (2009–2012). He earned his PhD in Development Economics from Marmara University, Turkey.

Research Interests: His work focuses on the political economy of growth regimes, financialization of emerging markets, authoritarian neoliberalism, and the interplay between power blocs and macroeconomic policies. He critically examines Turkey’s economic transformations under the AKP, Poland’s post-neoliberal shifts, and global South dynamics.

Publications: Akcay’s recent studies explore authoritarian neoliberalism in Turkey, dependent financialization in emerging economies, and export-led growth strategy transitions. His 2024 article in the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies analyzes the AKP’s initial decade through a political economy lens, while his 2023 Cambridge Journal of Economics study introduces the concept of 'dependent financialization' in Turkey.

Contact: Email: uemit.akcay@hwr-berlin.de, Office: Building E, Room E 1.30, Campus Schöneberg, Berlin.