Güneş Ertan

Professor

Contact Information

• E-mail: gertan@calpoly.edu

About

Güneş Ertan received her PhD from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. She is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in public policy, collective action, and online and offline social networks.

Güneş is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in public policy and social networks. Her work focuses on examining the dynamics of collective action, organizational behavior, and political polarization, particularly how these factors shape governance and decision-making. A central aspect of her research is disentangling the mechanisms that underlie collaborative policy processes—how diverse stakeholders engage, exchange knowledge, and negotiate to achieve shared objectives. She seeks to understand the role of civil society in policymaking: how and when non-state actors can strategically influence policy agendas, and what conditions heighten or limit their success in shaping policy outcomes. Additionally, her research explores how perceptions and cognitive biases affect policy effectiveness, either facilitating or hindering social and political change. Through this interdisciplinary lens, she aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the forces that drive collective efforts in the public domain and the complex interactions that shape policy decisions.