Profile
Melike is a sociologist and political economist mainly studying the legal and regulatory frameworks of market economies from a comparative and international perspective. Her previous research on antitrust (competition) laws, corporate bankruptcy regulations, transnational legal indicators, and the legal foundations of money has been published in several international peer-reviewed journals. She has extensive experience conducting expert interviews, archival research, organizational ethnography, and analysing law enforcement data.
Academic background
Melike received her PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University in 2021. Prior to joining Loughborough London in 2024, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne and a postdoctoral fellow at the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University.
Research
Melike's current research explores three central themes:
- How different consulting professionals, including economists and lawyers, shape market regulations and influence business decisions.
- The role of industrial policies and state aid programs in liberal market economies.
- Lessons from successful long-term planning projects by states, organisations, and social groups, and how they can be applied to mitigate and prepare for global climate change.
Interests and activities
Melike is currently Co-organiser of Network H: "Markets, Firms, and Institutions" at the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE). Previously, she served as Editor-in-Chief of SASE’s Future Directions in Socio-Economics Research blog, Co-Organiser of the Law and Political Economy Network at the Law and Society Association (LSA), and Coordinator of the Global Capitalism & Law Research Group at the Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern University.