1,720,995 research outputs found
Europeanisation or De-Europeanisation? Media Freedom in Turkey (1999-2015)
No full textYilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XThe European Union (EU) has successfully been exercising its transformative power through both its enlargement and its neighbourhood policies for decades. Nonetheless, transformation towards a more European model of governance through Europeanisation is not a linear process, but a differentiated one. Adverse consequences for Europeanisation (i.e. de-Europeanisation) have often been neglected. The case of media freedom in Turkey, with a deteriorating trend across time, exemplifies such an outcome. This article explores media freedom in Turkey in the last decade. It argues that media reforms have been reversed over time in a de-Europeanising trend, with the EU losing its position as a reference point for reforms
Eu Conditionality Is Not the Only Game in Town! Domestic Drivers of Turkey's Europeanization
No full textYilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XDespite the weakened push by the European Union (EU) conditionality across time, Turkey's Europeanization process continues in a number of areas selectively. Focusing on such a puzzling trend, this article critically examines the role of EU conditionality on Turkey's Europeanization and unpacks domestic drivers of change. The article explores the impact of grassroots actors -Turkish civil society organizations, business interest groups, media and political parties- on domestic change in the last decade and argues that continuing reforms in many areas in an era of limited EU-push are influenced by domestic actors
Post-Truth Politics in the 2017 Euro-Turkish Crisis
No full textYilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XThe year 2017 constituted a period of deep crisis and mutual distrust in relations between Turkey and Europe. During the referendum campaign on a proposed change to the constitution, the Turkish government reacted harshly to European countries that prohibited politicians campaigning in their territories. The key members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi - AKP) also met the European response with enmity. A detailed analysis of the discourse of the AKP's key cadre during the 2017 crisis reveals element of a new phenomenon which is emerging in the politics of many countries: post-truth
From Europeanization To De-Europeanization: the Europeanization Process of Turkey in 1999-2014
No full textYilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XTurkey has been experiencing a controversial path of Europeanization by the 1999 Helsinki Summit granting EU candidate country status to the country: a changing trend from progressing Europeanization to selective Europeanization and recently de-Europeanization. Such a puzzling process, especially considering the recent de-Europeanization, is explored in this article through critically discussing the role of the EU and domestic factors. The article argues that the process has been influenced by EU conditionality in the early period of Europeanization and by the preferences of the Turkish government at the later stages, which also determine the direction of the reforms (i.e., Europeanization, de-Europeanization)
Emulating Erasmus? Turkey's Mevlana Exchange Program in Higher Education
No full textYilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XIn today's world, globalization and internationalization of education necessitate new initiatives to catch the new era. Turkey, as a country in between the east and the west, attempts to do so through its recent exchange program in higher education. Interestingly, Turkey's Mevlana exchange program as an ambitious project in higher education denotes an instance of policy transfer: taking the EU model (i.e., Erasmus) and slightly adjusting it to the national circumstances. This article unpacks Turkey's Mevlana program to demonstrate the process of policy transfer by focusing on different questions posed within the policy transfer literature. It argues that Mevlana is drawn from Erasmus, and it is created as a tool of soft power that is increasingly exercised by Turkey due to its changing focus within the Turkish foreign policy of 2000s
It Is Voluntary Transfer! Exploring Healthcare Reforms in Turkey
No full textYilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XThe Turkish healthcare system has been transformed in the 2000s by adopting a comprehensive health model - the so-called Turkish Model. Although Europeanization dynamics were effective in Turkey in recent decades due to the acceleration of European Union (EU) accession process after 1999, healthcare reforms demonstrate a distinct process. This article analyzes the factors behind the health transformation through employing a policy transfer framework. It argues that a parallel process of health-policy transfer with Europeanization in other areas emerged in Turkey, and rather than the EU push, the Turkish healthcare model was a result of voluntary engagement for eliminating problems in this domain.TUBITAK Career Development Program [3501]This article was produced by research which was funded by TUBITAK 3501 Career Development Program
Zooming Into the 'domestic in Europeanization: Promotion of Fight Against Corruption and Minority Rights in Turkey
No full textSoyaltin, Digdem/0000-0002-7221-517X; Soyaltin-Colella, Digdem/0000-0002-7221-517X; Yilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XSince the credibility of the European Union (EU) conditionality for Turkey has significantly weakened after 2005, compliance with the EU requirements has become less likely. However, we observe continuing reforms in the fight against corruption and minority rights, which is rather puzzling. Given the limited impact of the EU incentives, this paper brings back the 'domestic' into the analysis by exploring the role of various domestic actors, such as Turkish state elites, civil society and the media. Yet, as the empirical evidence suggests, policy change in the fight against corruption and minority rights has been driven by the domestic agenda of the governing party, the Justice and Development Party, and its political preferences based on strategic calculations
Use/Misuse of Chinese Bri Investment? Bri-Related Crony Capitalism in Turkey
No full textElikucuk Yildirim, Nilgun/0000-0002-4006-1401; Yilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XCrony capitalism as a type of capitalism entailing the close relations of political authorities and business circles based on mutual profit maximization is not a new phenomenon in Turkey. However, crony relations have accelerated with the Justice and Development Party (Adalet Kalkinma Partisi - AKP) rule. Despite growing scholarly work on crony relations in the AKP era, the literature remains inward-oriented without analysing the external dimension of crony capitalism, which this article intends to alleviate by providing an analysis of crony capitalism and bringing back the external dimension through an analysis of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-related crony relations. It argues that the case of Turkey demonstrates how the BRI is used to feed instrumental cronyism without the promotion of China and how recipient countries use and misuse Chinese BRI investments to create alternative resources for the government's cronies
Authoritarian Diffusion or Cooperation? Turkey's Emerging Engagement With China
No full textElikucuk Yildirim, Nilgun/0000-0002-4006-1401; Yilmaz, Gozde/0000-0003-3015-568XWith the recent trend of autocratization in the world, scholars have begun to focus on authoritarian diffusion, cooperation, and autocracy promotion. Despite still being at an early stage theoretically and empirically, this expansion of diffusion literature has informed us about the possibilities of authoritarian diffusion and cooperation. In contrast to the recent focus on regional patterns of authoritarian diffusion and cooperation, this article explores a global process of authoritarian cooperation between Turkey and China. Focusing on the growing economic and political linkages between Turkey and China, we argue that, rather than authoritarian diffusion or autocracy promotion from China to Turkey, the increasing pragmatic cooperation among authoritarian states is the new game in town, shaped by interest-driven calculations to bolster power internally and internationally
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