AKP's neoliberal populism and contradictions of new social policies in Turkey

Ozdemir Y.

CONTEMPORARY POLITICS, vol.26, no.3, pp.245-267, 2020 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 26 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/13569775.2020.1720891
  • Journal Name: CONTEMPORARY POLITICS
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.245-267
  • Keywords: Turkey, AKP, social policy, neoliberal populism, Post Washington Consensus, LATIN-AMERICA, WASHINGTON CONSENSUS, POLITICAL-ECONOMY, DEVELOPMENT PARTY, WELFARE REGIME, NEOPOPULISM, JUSTICE, DECADE, STATE, RISE
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The AKP came to power in Turkey in 2002 after a devastating economic crisis and has since become a hegemonic party. Despite its neoliberal policies, its votes mostly come from the poorer echelons of the society. This article analyses the AKP as a prime example of 'neoliberal populism' and argues that the AKP's social policies are the material sources of its neoliberal populism. There are, however, important contradictions in AKP's social policies. First, they have mostly bene?ted informal sector workers, but have decreased the bene?ts of formal employees. Second, some of the social policies are programmatic and universal, but others are particularistic and clientelistic. Third, although social programmes and spending increased, the labour policies of AKP have decreased the power and conditions of labour. These social policy contradictions help AKP target the poor unorganized sections of the society, gain and maintain popularity among them and weaken opposition to its neoliberalism and authoritarianism.