Turkey's democratization process under European Union's conditionality: an index assessment of democracy, governance and human development

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1606730 (Table of Contents)

Turkey’s democracy has experienced a disruptive pattern of consolidation attempts throughout its history. The Europeanization project, envisioned since the establishment of the Republic, has been one of the main drivers for reform, especially in the early 2000s, when the EU membership prospect gained momentum. Although the conditionality’s credibility had rather diminished, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party demonstrated that a constitutional democracy can be achievable in a predominantly Muslim society, despite external and domestic challenges, provided the benefits are greater than the implementation costs. This study draws attention to Turkey’s democratization patterns in the policy areas on which the European Union’s political conditionality relies—democracy, governance, and human rights, notably after the official start of the accession negotiations in 2005. The main objective of this study is to assess the country’s democratic progress between 2005 and 2013 by examining Turkey’s standing according to international indices. Thus, it is explored whether the post—2005 period fostered substantial progress and whether a positive development is foreseeable in the ongoing democratization path.