GRF Young Professionals Program
2024 - 2025 Term
Third Meeting
April 12, 2025

The third meeting of the 2024-2025 term of the GRF Young Professionals Program, which aims to provide a platform for young professionals who are equipped with the resolve, background, and experience to contribute to the future of Turkey and the world, was held on April 12, 2025.

The meeting, centered around the theme of “Technology and the Future of Growth,” featured a presentation that examined traditional economic growth models in light of shifting global dynamics, rising socio-economic inequalities, and escalating environmental concerns. The discussions primarily focused on the potential roles that technological advancements could play in addressing the structural challenges and risks facing these models, as well as in shaping effective governance mechanisms.

Prof. Füsun Türkmen, Vice Chair of the GRF Board and Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Galatasaray University, also participated in the meeting. In her speech, she assessed potential transformations in U.S. domestic and foreign policy within the framework of the second Trump administration, and discussed their possible implications for global power dynamics and Turkey-U.S. relations.

The presenters used the following books to as a reference point in addressing their selected topics:

Growth: A Reckoning - Daniel Susskind

Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity - Daron Acemoğlu & Simon Johnson