Files
Abstract
This dissertation includes three essays on contemporary Turkish politics at varying levels. The first essay concerns the domestic level. In this respect, I investigate how outparty contact through its form, frequency, quality, content, and location shapes support for electoral violence in the most (Kucukcekmece) and least (Esenler) competitive districts of Istanbul. The results show that direct outparty contact in Kucukcekmece and outparty contact through home visits in Esenler significantly decrease the prevalence of support for electoral violence against outparty voters. Concerning the international level, the second essay analyzes how the determinants of Turkey's foreign aid influence Turkey’s medical assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that recipient countries’ historical ties to the Ottoman Empire, Turkic identity, their level of imports from Turkey, and needs based on their general health system are the predictors of receiving Turkish medical supplies during the pandemic. As for the regional level, the third essay explores how the European Commission’s (EC) attitude toward Turkey’s accession to the EU changes between 1998 and 2020. The overall pleasantness of the EC’s attitude shows a steady trend between 1998 and 2008 that precedes a persistent decline between 2010 and 2018. Equally important, EC’s rising negativity about political and legal developments in Turkey since the early 2010s illuminates growing authoritarian practices by the Justice and Development Party. On the contrary, the EC has a more positive view of economic developments in Turkey during the same years despite Turkey's financial and fiscal underperformance since 2016.