Project by GTU Academic Selected for TÜBİTAK 1002-A Support

May 12, 2025 – GTU Office of Press and Public Relations

The project titled “Private Pension Savings and the Automatic Enrollment System”, prepared by Research Assistant Yunis Dede from the Department of Economics at Gebze Technical University (GTU) as part of his doctoral dissertation, is selected for support under the TÜBİTAK 1002-A Rapid Support Program.

The project will be carried out by a team under the supervision of Prof. Sadettin Haluk Çitçi, a faculty member of the Department of Economics, with Assoc. Prof. Serhat Erat, a faculty member in the Science of Strategy, participating as a researcher. The study will provide a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of the Automatic Enrollment System (AES), which was introduced in Türkiye in 2017 as a significant reform to the Private Pension System (PPS). The project will examine the causal effects of the system on individuals’ saving behaviors and evaluate participants’ long-term saving tendencies.

The findings obtained from the research are expected to serve as a guide for institutions regulating the Private Pension System, stakeholders in the pension sector, investment advisors, and academics. The project is anticipated to contribute to the development of policy recommendations that encourage individual savings and strengthen retirement planning.