Neoliberal Turkey and its Discontents: Economic Policy and the Environment under Erdogan

(Hardback)

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The 'neoliberal' economic policy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP Party, which has delivered extraordinary growth in Turkish GDP over the last decade, has been one of the foundations of the party's popular appeal. Here, a group of experts on Turkish political economy show how these policies have also had a detrimental impact on the environment, sustainability and the long-term health of the Turkish economy. Taking the two main sectors of growth during the past decade-energy and construction-as its primary focus, the book engages broadly with the political economy of inequality and sustainability in contemporary Turkey. Ultimately, the authors argue that 'environmental conflicts' in Turkey are not merely about the environment but intersect with contemporary politics of religion, ethnicity, gender, and class within the context of top-down, modernising economic development. Neoliberal Turkey and its Discontents marks an important contribution to debates around the economic growth of Turkey and the future of the AKP's long-term economic plan.

Reviews

"For serious observers struggling to make sense of Turkish developments under Erdoan's AKP, these 13 scholarly essays go deep beneath the headlines... There is ample political analysis. The chapter on the Gezi Park "uprising" is particularly rewarding, as is the chapter on comparative environmental movements. Recommended. Graduate students through professionals."

Author Bio

Fikret Adaman (BA and MA in Economics at Bogazici University; PhD in Economics at Manchester University) is currently Professor of Economics and Vice-Rector at Bogazici University. He is currently acting as an expert on social inclusion to the European Commission. With Bengi Akbulut he broadcasts frequently in Turkey, criticizing the modernization move that disregards social and ecological costs. Bengi Akbulut (BA in Economics at Bogazici University; PhD in Economics at UMASS) is an independent researcher on the social policy, political ecology, political economy of Turkey. Her recent work has been published in the Journal of Peasant Studies, Development and Change, and the Cambridge Journal of Economics.Murat Arsel (BA in Economics and Government at Clark University, MA in Politics of the World Economy at the LSE, MPhil in Environment and Development and PhD in Human Geography at University of Cambridge) is Associate Professor of Environment and Development at the International Institute of Social Studies (The Hague) of Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He is currently co-chair of the editorial board of Development and Change and held the Keyman Family Visiting Professorship in Modern Turkish Studies at Northwestern University in 2014.