Final Report Summary - CESCER (Enhancing the comparative research capacity of the CES)
The ultimate aim of the CESCER project was to enhance the research capacity of the Centre for European studies (CES) by expanding its research scope to different regions, subjects and activities. In order to achieve this goal, the project promoted the development of an interdisciplinary environment amenable for conducting comparative research in the area of comprehensive security and governance in a wider Europe.
The overall objectives of the project included the upgrade of the institutional structure of the CES and enhancement of its research capacity, as well as the establishment, maintenance and reinforcement of its links with leading European research institutions. In this regard, the project aimed to assist the CES in developing new research projects and participating in others that explore processes of social, economic and political transformation in Turkey within a comparative framework, focusing on new forms and problems of governance as they relate to issues of comprehensive security. By upgrading the institutional research capacity of the CES the project intended not only to contribute to advancing knowledge created in the European Research Area (ERA) but also to increase public awareness and dissemination of research findings to a larger community.
CESCER mainly focused on three themes in line with the CES research agenda, namely European (EU) enlargement, relationship between security and governance and Europeanisation of Turkey's governance structures and its foreign policy. By enhancing the comparative and interdisciplinary research capacity of the centre through these three themes, the project contributed to the study of key interactions between processes of European integration and Europeanisation, as well as issues of enlargement, democracy, institutional structures and citizens' well-being. In particular, formulating a comprehensive understanding of security issues (which transcends a classic, narrow understanding of security so as to entail issues of societal and political governance) was a central research objective for the CES since its inception. In this context, the centre aimed to expand the scope of its research by conducting comparative studies on diverse regions such as the Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Black Sea with the active participation and cooperation of researchers from these regions. A comparative, multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary study of the enlargement process, in its interconnections with issues of governance and comprehensive security, facilitated the incorporation of social and economic development concerns into the analysis.
The overall objectives of the project included the upgrade of the institutional structure of the CES and enhancement of its research capacity, as well as the establishment, maintenance and reinforcement of its links with leading European research institutions. In this regard, the project aimed to assist the CES in developing new research projects and participating in others that explore processes of social, economic and political transformation in Turkey within a comparative framework, focusing on new forms and problems of governance as they relate to issues of comprehensive security. By upgrading the institutional research capacity of the CES the project intended not only to contribute to advancing knowledge created in the European Research Area (ERA) but also to increase public awareness and dissemination of research findings to a larger community.
CESCER mainly focused on three themes in line with the CES research agenda, namely European (EU) enlargement, relationship between security and governance and Europeanisation of Turkey's governance structures and its foreign policy. By enhancing the comparative and interdisciplinary research capacity of the centre through these three themes, the project contributed to the study of key interactions between processes of European integration and Europeanisation, as well as issues of enlargement, democracy, institutional structures and citizens' well-being. In particular, formulating a comprehensive understanding of security issues (which transcends a classic, narrow understanding of security so as to entail issues of societal and political governance) was a central research objective for the CES since its inception. In this context, the centre aimed to expand the scope of its research by conducting comparative studies on diverse regions such as the Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Black Sea with the active participation and cooperation of researchers from these regions. A comparative, multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary study of the enlargement process, in its interconnections with issues of governance and comprehensive security, facilitated the incorporation of social and economic development concerns into the analysis.
