Erasmus+ KA2 Projects in the Third Sector in Türkiye: A Multidimensional Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/tisej.2026.1896Keywords:
Erasmus, KA2 Projects, Content Analysis, Social Network Analysis, Third SectorAbstract
Erasmus+ projects offer important opportunities for public, private, and third-sector organizations in terms of international cooperation, institutional capacity building, and developing solutions to social challenges. However, studies focusing on Erasmus+ projects remain limited in the literature. This study aims to analyze the structural and content-related dimensions of Erasmus+ KA2 projects coordinated by third-sector organizations in Türkiye through a multidimensional approach. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. In this context, social network analysis was employed in the quantitative phase, while thematic content analysis of project cards was conducted in the qualitative phase. The research data consist of 225 projects obtained from the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform and coordinated by third-sector organizations in Türkiye.
The findings indicate that the projects largely focus on key problem areas such as skills and competence gaps, social exclusion, digital transformation, and limited institutional capacity. Project objectives are primarily concentrated on individual skills development, social inclusion, and digitalization, while social inclusion, employment, and individual empowerment emerge as prominent areas in terms of intended impact. In addition, project partnerships were found to be concentrated around certain countries, indicating an uneven distribution within the collaboration network. These findings suggest that third-sector organizations need to strengthen their institutional project development capacities, diversify their international partnership networks, place greater emphasis on innovative and digital outputs in project design processes, and develop more sustainable and impact-oriented project approaches. By revealing the project development patterns of third-sector organizations, this study contributes to addressing a gap in the literature while also providing practical implications for institutional capacity building, international partnership development, and the design of high-quality, inclusive, and impact-oriented projects.
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