A Loss for Turkey: Economist Türkel Minibaş Dies

Prof. Dr. Türkel Minibaş died in the Florence Nightingale hospital in Istanbul, where she had been receiving treatment for stomach cancer, on Friday, 6 February.

Academic and journalistic contributions

Minibaş was an economics professor at Istanbul University, but also widely known for her work on women and children.

She was born in 1953. since 1994, she had a weekly column in the Cumhuriyet newspaper. She also wrote for bianet regularly in 2001 and 2002.

Minibaş went to primary and middle school in Turkey, but completed her high school education in Los Angeles. After graduating from Marmara University’s Economics and Administration faculty in Istanbul in 1975, she completed her PhD in Economic Theory and Economic History at Istanbul University with distinction. In 1995, she became a professor and was lecturer at Istanbul University’s faculty for Economic Development and International Economics.

She published two books, “Turkey and Development Finance Policies in Less Developed Countries” and “The Adventure of Being Ahead of Time 1453-1980”. She further co-authored “The Labour Power of Urban Women Prepared to Work and Change” and “Corruption in Turkey: Socio-Economic Reasons, Effects and Suggestions for Solutions”.

She also published on money, development, the Turkish economy, international investment, globalisation, corrupt economies, women and sexism.

Minibaş also served as the vice-president of the Research and Implementation Centre for Women’s Issues at Istanbul University, and coordinated the Anatolian University’s Open University Faculty in Istanbul.

Consultation work and voluntary work

She worked as a consult on several international projects concerning women, economics, globalisation and children’s rights.

Minibaş was the vice chair fo the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life (ÇYDD), a member of the board of trustees of the Turkish Society for the Protection of Children and a founding member of the Turkish Culture Foundation and the Social Democracy Foundation. (TK/AG)

* This article made use of http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/