The Europeanization of Turkey: Polity and Politics (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics)

Given the recent inertia in EU-Turkey relations in the midst of regional economic and political upheavals, Europeanization of Turkey takes a step back from the latest headlines to provide a comprehensive stocktaking of EU-inspired reform efforts in Turkey with an eye to understanding how effective or ineffective EU conditionality has been in making Turkey's key political institutions, actors and culture more compatible with European norms.

In addition to contributing to the theoretical literature on the differential effects of Europeanization on the domestic realm, this volume also expands the existing scope of research to include questions of how socialization through the accession process operates under high levels of uncertainty about the attainability of European Union membership. Applying a uniform analytical framework and the methodology of process tracing, the authors in this volume assess the nature and degree of change that has occurred in various dimensions of Turkish domestic polity and politics in the context of Turkey's post-1999 EU accession.

Engaging with important practical issues such as whether potential membership in the EU has brought about positive change, in which areas this change is manifest, and how significant this change has been, this book is an essential resource for students, scholars and researchers seeking to understand contemporary relations between the EU and Turkey.

Ali Tekin served as an MP in Turkey and was subsequently Professor and Vice Dean at Yaşar, JM Chair at Bilkent, and Visiting Scholar at Harvard. His research focuses on Turkish and European political economy. He has (co-)authored Geo-Politics of Euro-Asia Energy Nexus and numerous articles.

Aylin GÜNEY is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences as well as Jean Monnet Chair at Yaşar University, Turkey. Her research interests focus on EU enlargement and she has authored many articles on EU-Turkey relations and Turkish politics.