Türkiye'de Devlet-Sivil Toplum Kuruluslari Iliskisi ve Sivil Toplum Kuruluslarina Katilim ; The relationship between the state and civil society organizations, and participation in civil society organizations in Turkey

In: Sahin , O & Akboga , S 2019 , ' Türkiye'de Devlet-Sivil Toplum Kuruluslari Iliskisi ve Sivil Toplum Kuruluslarina Katilim ' , International Journal of Political Science and Urban Studies , vol. 7 , no. 2 , pp. 405-427 . https://doi.org/10.14782/ipsus.623237

Abstract

Previous research demonstrated that there is a positive relationship between democracy and membership in civil society organizations. Turkey is considered to be a country where membership in civil society organizations is low. Relying on the literature on the factors effecting the participation in civil society organizations and the history of the relationship between civil society organizations and the Turkish state, this article aims to investigate the factors behind low civil society organization membership in Turkey. To this end, this article benefited from a nation-wide survey conducted in 2015. Analysis showed that people in Turkey do not consider strong civil society as an important dimension of democracy. In addition, analysis revealed that a large number of people in Turkey think that: civil society organizations in Turkey are not independent from the state; the state does not see civil society as a partner in policy-making; and people are afraid of being a member of civil society organizations. This article concluded that the problematic history between civil society organizations and the Turkish state is a major reason why people in Turkey hold negative views about civil society organizations, and therefore avoid membership in these organizations.