Kemal Derviş

Kemal Derviş was a Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC. From April 2009 to November 2017, he was Vice President and Director of the program.

He was Executive Head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); a member of the Turkish Parliament, representing his native city of Istanbul; and Minister for Economic Affairs and the Treasury of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for Turkey’s recovery programme after the devastating financial crisis that hit the country in February 2001. In 2003, he was a member of the Convention for the Future of Europe meeting in Brussels, representing Turkey’s parliamentary opposition, the CHP. He also served as a Vice President of the World Bank.

Kemal Derviş earned his Bachelor’s degree (First Class Honours) and Master’s degree (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics, and his PhD in economics from Princeton University.

He published several books and many articles in academic journals as well as current affairs publications, in English, Turkish, French, and German, on topics ranging from mathematical models of economic growth to macroeconomic policy, social mobility and income distribution, international trade, European affairs, global governance, and climate change. Recent books included Inequality in America: Facts, Trends, and International Perspectives (2012), co-written with Uri Dadush and others, and A Better Globalization: Legitimacy, Governance and Reform (2005). Two further books, Europe’s Crisis, Europe’s Future (2014), co-edited with Jacques Mistral, and G20 at Five: Time for Strategic Leadership (2014), co-edited with Peter Drysdale, were published by Brookings Press in 2014. Reflections on Progress was published in 2016. A monthly column by Kemal Derviş appeared in many languages in newspapers around the world. Kemal Derviş passed away on 8 May 2023.

Last updated: 2018