Technology for better public decisions

CDR is an independent technology and research organization focused on public policy. It works at the intersection of technology and public policy in emerging democracies, building open, privacy-first tools and capacity-building programs that make governance more transparent, participation more accessible, and decision-making more evidence-based.

What we build

Open, privacy-first technological tools & programs for transparent, participatory, and evidence-based public policy.

AI-powered policy intelligence for evidence-based action.

Empowers NGOs, public-interest teams, and businesses to track institutions and agendas, surface risk and opportunity signals, and turn complex public policy developments into decision-ready briefs.

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Policyful

Participatory civic engagement for parliamentary tracking.

'Tinder for Parliament' — people follow proposals through 5-minute summaries, vote on bills in a gamified way, turning complex legislative work into clear, engaging participation.

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Referandom

Open, privacy-first AI for mission-driven work.

Helps civil society and decision-makers use AI ethically through workshops, open-source tech, and applied research — bridging the capacity gap with practical tooling.

Governance literacy and civic participation for young people.

A capacity-building program for university students aged 18–25, designed to strengthen governance literacy and youth participation. Delivered through multi-city, highly interactive workshops on political systems, elections, how parliament and local governments function, transparency, and youth representation.

How we work

Three principles, applied across every product, partnership, and program we run.

Policy clarity, not policy commentary.

We translate complex public policy and institutional processes into clear, usable knowledge so teams can act with confidence.

Tools plus capacity.

We don't just ship software. We pair products with workshops, playbooks, and hands-on support so teams can adopt, adapt, and sustain the work.

Built for public benefit.

Our solutions prioritize public-interest use cases, are designed to be replicable across contexts, and are always free for public-interest teams.

Reports, briefs, and field notes

Open-access research and program outputs from CDR and its collaborators, published in Turkish and English.

Field notes, announcements, and analysis

Updates from CDR's programs, policy monitoring, and writing on the intersection of technology, democracy, and public policy.

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Partners

We conduct research and technology-driven projects.

National Endowment for Democracy
European Endowment for Democracy
Freedom House
Sweden Sverige
U.S. Consulate General Istanbul
Atlas Network
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Chrest Foundation
Stiftung Mercator
European Union

The people behind CDR

A multidisciplinary team working across technology, policy, research, communications, and program design.

AtaHead of Product & Software Engineer
ElifCommunications Assistant
ElifnazSr. Projects & Communications Specialist
KadirPresident
MesutFinance & Administrative Consultant
NesibeAI Program Consultant
NevzatResearcher & Youth Program Consultant
OnurLocal Democracy Program Consultant
PınarManaging Coordinator
UmutAI Program Coordinator & Software Engineer
YusufVice President