The politics of recentralisation: local governance under Türkiye’s illiberal turn

Tan E., Özer I.

Urban Research and Practice, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/17535069.2025.2571856
  • Dergi Adı: Urban Research and Practice
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Political Science Complete
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: democratic backsliding, illiberalism, local government, recentralisation, Turkey
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This article examines the Turkish central government’s illiberal recentralisation strategies after the 2019 local elections. It argues that recentralisation is a political project targeting opposition-led municipalities through judicial, media, and administrative means. Officially justified by national security and anti-corruption, these measures undermine local autonomy and political competition. Using the Local Autonomy Index (LAI), the study reveals declines in political discretion, institutional depth, policy scope, and fiscal independence. The findings show how state power is instrumentalised to delegitimise opposition governance, illustrating broader patterns of democratic erosion and authoritarian consolidation in Türkiye.