I am a political scientist working on political parties, social policy and democratic decline, primarily in the Middle East and North Africa. Beginning from August 2022, I will be an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Bryn Mawr College. I received my PhD in political science from Harvard University Government Department (July 2021). During the 2021-2022 academic year, I was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule ofLaw (CDDRL).

My book project explores the reasons behind the weak electoral appeal of secular parties in the Middle East after the popular uprisings of 2011-2013 and why they could not form a robust electoral alternative to Islamist parties. Using interviews with party elites, original large-scale candidate surveys, contemporaneous household surveys and conjoint experiments in Tunisia and Turkey, I show that secular parties suffer from disadvantages in political selection and organizational cohesion, which leads to a valence deficit and electoral disadvantage. The dissertation which forms the basis of this book project won the Edward M. Chase Prize for the best dissertation on a subject relating to the promotion of world peace from Harvard University Department of Government.
I also study how ethnic and organizational diversity affect the quality of social services, the role of international organizations in social policies for refugees, youth political and civic engagement and how citizens respond to executive aggrandizement. My work has been published or is forthcoming in Comparative Political Studies, Governance, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Development Economics, and World Development.
Here is an up-to-date CV.
Please feel free to contact me for inquiries related to my work at asasmaz@brynmawr.edu.
Office hours (Spring 2023, beginning from January 18): Wednesdays, 1-3pm, Dalton Hall 100G.
If you are a Bi-Co student, click here to reserve a spot in the office hours. If not, please send an email.
2023 ELECTIONS IN TURKEY:
SIMULATIONS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Analysis co-authored with Onur Altındağ. Graphics Deniz Cem Önduygu.
Read the full piece here.
DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKES IN TURKEY AND SYRIA:
ORGANIZATIONS FOR DONATIONS
Needs Map (İhtiyaç Haritası) is a non-profit organization with the status of a social cooperative that facilitates cooperation and solidarity through verified geospatial data and community-based verification. You can donate directly via:
https://fonzip.com/ihtiyacharitasi/afet-haritasi-deprem-yardim-kampanyasi?currency=EUR
Mozaik Foundation Turkey is based in London and aims to strengthen grassroots civil society organizations in Turkey. They publish how much of the contributions they send to which organizations. You can donate directly via: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/kahramanmarasearthquake
Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF) is the leading U.S. community foundation for high-impact social investments dedicated to Turkish and Turkish-American communities. The contributions made to the Türkiye Earthquake Relief Fund go to TPF-vetted NGOs. You can donate directly via:
https://donate.tpfund.org/campaign/tpf-turkiye-earthquake/c465112
Purple Solidarity (Mor Dayanışma) is an umbrella organization that brings together organizations working on women’s rights. They are collecting donations to meet the specific needs of the women and children impacted by the earthquake. You can send your donations to their banking account: IBAN TR120013400001805716000002, account owner: Berivan Çıngırlar, bank: DenizBank, SWIFT Code: DENITRISXXX
UNICEF Turkey Office is collecting donations to deliver humanitarian aid to children in the area. You can donate through their website or send money to their IBAN. Find all the information on how to on this webpage.
AFAD (Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Agency) is a Turkish governmental organization coordinating disaster relief and recovery efforts in affected areas/communities. See their website for details.
The White Helmets is a volunteer organization that provides aid in occupied areas, whose fundraising campaign for the earthquake is supported by the UK-based non-profit The Syria Campaign. See their website for details.