Kemal Dervis was the Minister of State responsible for economy in Turkey during Bülent Ecevit's last government. He was called from World Bank to be the minister by Ecevit since Turkey was in its most critic economic crisis. He was the vice president of World Bank before. He is now an ordinary senator of Turkish Parlement as a member of CHP. (Republican People Party)which is opposition party of AKP (Justice and Development Party) which has the power now.

He studied in the United States and earned a Ph.D. in Economics at Princeton University.