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Turkey has been going through a major urban transformation for the past decade as a result of the vigorous urban policy of the akp government. Luxury real estate projects, from gated communities to office towers and shopping malls are mushrooming every day to replace parks, forests, historical sites, beaches, and other shared space. This urban policy has been largely accepted by capitalist groups who prioritized economic growth. Yet, it was criticized by left-wing and environmentalist circles who problematized the displacement of the urban poor, elimination of diversity, and the decline of urban nature as a result. Nevertheless, a critical aspect of this urban renewal policy, namely the dramatic expansion of the boundaries and control of the government at the expense of rival institutions and actors received little attention. This analysis focuses on the akp government's legislative interventions that affected the schemes of urban development. The study considers how this urban policy combined capitalist strategies with political centralization, which allowed solidification of government control.

AbstractIslamic banks create an interest in their own right as a rising branch in financial intermediation, particularly in the post-crisis era. In addition, they also deserve the attention of students of Islamism due to their possible connection with Islamic movements. Through a comparison of Islamic and conventional banking, we analyze the motivations and behavior of Islamic economic actors who determine the cash flow to Islamic banks. Our findings suggest that, in contrast to popular views that portray these actors as ideologues or financiers of radical Islam, they have pragmatic motivations and may adapt to liberal systems in order to seize economic incentives.

Otoriter sağ popülizmin yükselişinde, anti-feminist ve reaksiyoner söylem ve politikaların etkili olduğu, sağ popülist liderlerin siyasi iletişim ve üsluplarında da erkeklik vurgusunun yoğunluğu, popülizme toplumsal cinsiyet perspektifinden bakan araştırmacıların sıklıkla vurguladığı bir nokta olagelmiştir. Bu çalışma, otoriter sağ popülist liderlerin, liberal demokrasiye itiraz ederken, neden agresif bir maskülinist söylemi merkeze aldığı sorusuna yanıt aramaktadır. Otoriter sağ popülizm, liberal demokrasinin temsil ve çoğulculuk anlayışına karşı çıkarken nasıl bir toplumsal cinsiyet tahayyülüyle hareket etmektedir? Bu soruya yanıt ararken, feminist teorinin liberal demokrasi eleştirisinden ve analitik bir araç olarak aile metaforundan, özellikle de "kardeşler arası ilişkiler" metaforundan yararlanıyoruz. Çalışmada, otoriter sağ popülizmin, halkı homojen bir yapı olarak, lideri ise halk ile yekvücut olarak kurgulayışına odaklanıyor ve farklılıklara karşı takınılan agresif tavrın temelindeki toplumsal cinsiyet tahayyüllerinin analizini sunuyoruz.

AbstractIn this article, we investigate economic and political developments in Turkey's construction sector over the last decade and consider their implications. We find that during the first term of the government of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), thanks to administrative and economic incentives, both private and public construction rose considerably. Despite the construction sector's contribution to growth, there is also evidence of a transfer from the industrial sector toward the construction sector, which led to significant decline in the trend growth of the industrial sector in the era prior to 2006. Such evidence disappears in the post-crisis period, when the growth of private construction slows. However, overcentralization, clientelism, an absence of transparency, and limitations on citizen participation in urban planning remain as problems that need to be addressed through urban reform.

Turkey has been going through a profound urban renewal process in the past decade, mainly based on a policy where public land is rapidly commodified by the state and used for construction projects through public-private partnerships. To some, this mechanism of state-led property development defines a new era in Turkish political economy and that the government shifted away from its earlier economic orientation defined by a commitment to structural reforms and production of exportable goods. Yet others deny the existence of such a shift and highlight that the growth rate in Turkey's construction sector is not above global trends. Despite profound public interest in the topic, empirical studies that investigate the subject remain limited. This paper aims to make a contribution in this regard and investigates how the sectoral decomposition of GDP has changed in recent years, with an emphasis on the construction and industrial sectors.