Gülşah Şentürk
Since January 2019, I have been working as a research assistant in the department of economics at Istanbul University in Turkey. My undergraduate and graduate education were in economics. My master's thesis was an empirical study on the plastic bag fee, which has been implemented in Turkey since 2019. I am currently doing my Ph.D. in economics at Istanbul University in Turkey, and I am at the thesis stage. The research I conduct for my Doctoral thesis involves “Behavioural Economics, Circular Economy, and Environmental Policies for Single-use Plastics.” If I talk about my research in general terms, I can say that I am still beginning. My doctoral thesis includes hypotheses on how single-use plastics can be brought into the circular economy. I think that the basis of environmental problems is human behaviour, so my research aims to examine the role of consumer behaviour in the circular economy. One of the areas where behavioural policies can be applied appropriately and effectively is environmental issues. Although many studies focus on the roles of producers and the production chain in the circular economy context, I think that the most critical factors that shape the basic structure of production are consumer expectations and demands. For this reason, I am thinking of designing an inclusive policy that will enable consumers to bring singleuse plastics to the circular economy by creating experiments within the framework of the Nudge Theory. First of all, I plan to explore the problems that hinder the circular economy for each category by making primary classifications about single-use plastics. I will then design nudges for each class to overcome these problems. As a result of my research, I plan to provide a generalisable policy recommendation for single-use plastics. I always work hard to improve myself; I try to follow all innovative analyses to keep up with today's econometrics. I'm experienced in statistical methods for scale development and microdata analysis. I follow current methods of panel data analysis and time series analysis. I'm a researcher in an ongoing project on Eco-Anxiety. I'm voluntarily consulting for a project that aims to collect data on textile waste in Turkey. I can say that I am disciplined, hardworking, and open to learning. I am always happy to take an active role in projects and teamwork. I can also say that I have been passionately interested in environmental policy and waste management for a long time. Economic theory studies the relations of consumption and production. There are a few issues that I have been questioning since I started my economics education. We are constantly creating waste on this planet through our cycle of consumption and production. So how long will this waste continue? I thought about this for a while and realized that single-use plastics worry me the most. Therefore, I focused on this issue. Additionally, I founded a student club called the ecology club at my university. We organize training, activities, and roundtables to talk about ecology with students and my colleagues in this club. For example, waste management, ecological concern, environmental consumption behaviour, etc.