ÖZALAY-ŞANLI, EREN Boğaziçi University - Department of Political Science and International Relations, Turkey , ÖZALAY-ŞANLI, EREN Bahçeşehir University - Department of EU Studies, Turkey

EVALUATING CURRENT TURKISH POLITICS IN LIGHT OF DEMOCRATIZATION AND EUROPEANIZATION THEORIES: THE CASE OF EDUCATION REFORMS

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This article traces the achievements of democratization and Europeanization in Turkey through debates about reforming education. After a discussion on Europeanization and democratization theories and on how well these theories explain the reform process in Turkey, the article delves into the question of how education norms that were developed during the European integration have affected domestic policy in Turkey. Education is a policy area left to the discretion of national governments within the European Union; therefore supranational legislation governing education does not exist. Education is not a problematic issue in the Turkish accession negotiations. Nevertheless, the pressing need for reform is stated in the annual progress reports when the practice of education in Turkey contradicts the norms of human rights as well as cultural and democratic rights. Recent education reforms and debates about future developments in education suggest important trajectories for understanding the current state of Turkey–EU relations and how far the mechanisms offered by the EU and other European institutions have worked for the further democratization of Turkey. The fact that some norms are accepted while others are rejected proves the instrumental impact of Europeanization in Turkey. The article finds the norm diffusion model accords with the rational institutionalist model of Europeanization in explaining education reforms in Turkey.

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Europeanization , democratization , rational choice institutionalism , norm diffusion , education reform.

Bogazici Journal

25