The Economic Transformation of Turkey: Neoliberalism and State Intervention

2015 | Business & Finance

The coup d'etat which took place in Turkey on 12 September 1980 was the third in the history of the Republic, and ushered in a three-year period of military rule. Nilgun Onder investigates the economic transformation of Turkey after this coup, examining both the policies enacted under the military regime and those during the subsequent period of civilian government. Onder argues the key aspect of economic policy was that of neoliberal restructuring, and integral to this was the exclusion of organised labour from the political process. In doing so, she highlights the irony of the era: that at an official level, there was an emphasis upon neoliberal economic values, such as limited state involvement. And yet at the same time, policies were enacted which were aimed at a more interventionist position when it came to industrial relations. It was through new legislation and bureaucratisation of the industrial relations system that the state transformed the Turkish economy, attempting to open it up to foreign investment and trade: in effect creating the foundations of Turkey's current economic success.

Nilgun Onder (Author)

Nilgeun Eonder (Author)