The 'civil society policy' of the European Union for promoting democracy in Turkey: golden goose or dead duck?
SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN AND BLACK SEA STUDIES, vol.13, no.3, pp.381-400, 2013 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 13 Issue: 3
- Publication Date: 2013
- Doi Number: 10.1080/14683857.2013.814232
- Journal Name: SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN AND BLACK SEA STUDIES
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
- Page Numbers: pp.381-400
- Istanbul Kültür University Affiliated: No
Abstract
Golden goose' of European integration for some time now, EU's civil society policy displays a vivid example during Turkey's accession. This article queries the impact of this policy in the Turkish context, ultimately showing its limited extent on Turkish civil society organizations (CSOs) and illuminating its real constraints in the Turkish context. Drawing on interviews with CSOs, this article argues that the EU could not accomplish its expected objectives set within its civil society policy in Turkey due to its neo-Tocquevillian conceptualization that overlooks at the constraints on civil society actors and disregards civil society's political nature and its CSOs' autonomous character.