Ceren Çevik Awarded Doctorate for Dissertation on Environmental NGOs in Authoritarian Regimes

October 16, 2025
The photograph shows a specimen of the genus Homo sapiens, with external characteristics indicating that it is female. She has full, dark, wavy hair that falls forward over both shoulders and across her chest. Her dark brown eyes smile mischievously, and her head is tilted gently to the right. One cannot help but sense a deep love for humanity in this expression. The individual has a silver pendant necklace placed over the sternum, just above the beige top. In the background, numerous blurred windows can be glimpsed.

At the end of June, Ceren Çevik successfully defended her dissertation entitled “Adapt or Perish? Understanding Transnational Environmental NGOs’ Strategies in China and Turkey” at the University of Duisburg-Essen. In her study she examines how transnational environmental NGOs can continue to operate under authoritarian regimes imposing strict regulations. Using a comparison between China and Turkey, Çevik analyzes these organizations’ strategies and tactics as well as their relationships with local environmental NGOs. Her research is based on qualitative interviews with NGO actors, supplemented by analysis of laws, regulations, and NGO reports. The dissertation contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of state-society relations in authoritarian contexts. It was supervised by Sigrid Quack, senior professor for sociology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Ceren Çevik joined the International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy as a doctoral researcher in 2020.

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