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Article Citation - WoS: 44Citation - Scopus: 58Europeanisation or De-Europeanisation? Media Freedom in Turkey (1999-2015)(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2016) Yilmaz, GozdeThe European Union (EU) has successfully been exercising its transformative power through both its enlargement and its neighbourhood policies for decades. Nonetheless, transformation towards a more European model of governance through Europeanisation is not a linear process, but a differentiated one. Adverse consequences for Europeanisation (i.e. de-Europeanisation) have often been neglected. The case of media freedom in Turkey, with a deteriorating trend across time, exemplifies such an outcome. This article explores media freedom in Turkey in the last decade. It argues that media reforms have been reversed over time in a de-Europeanising trend, with the EU losing its position as a reference point for reforms.Article Contesting the EU? China's Engagement With Türkiye and the Western Balkans(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Yilmaz, GozdeThe EU has been challenged as a norm exporter both internally and externally in recent years. However, studies focused on the external dimensions of this contestation, such as the rise of China, have remained limited in the literature to date. This article accordingly explores the external dimensions of EU contestation by examining the case of Chinese engagement with T & uuml;rkiye and the Western Balkan countries in the 2010s and 2020s. It is argued that despite the EU's long engagement as a norm exporter in the aforementioned countries, its hesitant approach to enlargement opened the gates to China as an alternative gravity centre for these countries. China filled the space left empty by the EU and increased its cooperation with T & uuml;rkiye and the Western Balkan countries. As a result, Chinese influence has become a reality, contesting the EU as a norm exporter in its own neighbourhood.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 2Diffusion of Digital Authoritarianism? Censorship, Surveillance and Beyond in Türkiye(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2024) Aslan, Mesut; Yilmaz, GozdeThe expansion of authoritarianism in the world has led to increased debates about digital authoritarianism as well as the diffusion of authoritarianism. However, these two topics have not been addressed together despite the digital world being a strong candidate for diffusion. This study explores whether digital authoritarian diffusion occurs from China and/or Russia to T & uuml;rkiye by examining the models of China and Russia and unpacking the Turkish model of digital authoritarianism. We argue that the Turkish model is inspired by the Chinese and Russian models, but without the active promotion of those models by authoritarian centres. Instead, analyses of the legal framework, technology and surveillance practices suggest that there is an indirect and passive as well as internally driven process at work.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 9Post-Truth Politics in the 2017 Euro-Turkish Crisis(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2019) Yilmaz, GozdeThe year 2017 constituted a period of deep crisis and mutual distrust in relations between Turkey and Europe. During the referendum campaign on a proposed change to the constitution, the Turkish government reacted harshly to European countries that prohibited politicians campaigning in their territories. The key members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi - AKP) also met the European response with enmity. A detailed analysis of the discourse of the AKP's key cadre during the 2017 crisis reveals element of a new phenomenon which is emerging in the politics of many countries: post-truth.Article Citation - WoS: 5Citation - Scopus: 7It Is Voluntary Transfer! Exploring Healthcare Reforms in Turkey(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2017) Yilmaz, GozdeThe Turkish healthcare system has been transformed in the 2000s by adopting a comprehensive health model - the so-called Turkish Model. Although Europeanization dynamics were effective in Turkey in recent decades due to the acceleration of European Union (EU) accession process after 1999, healthcare reforms demonstrate a distinct process. This article analyzes the factors behind the health transformation through employing a policy transfer framework. It argues that a parallel process of health-policy transfer with Europeanization in other areas emerged in Turkey, and rather than the EU push, the Turkish healthcare model was a result of voluntary engagement for eliminating problems in this domain.Article Citation - WoS: 35Citation - Scopus: 43Zooming Into the 'domestic in Europeanization: Promotion of Fight Against Corruption and Minority Rights in Turkey(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2014) Yilmaz, Gozde; Soyaltin, DigdemSince the credibility of the European Union (EU) conditionality for Turkey has significantly weakened after 2005, compliance with the EU requirements has become less likely. However, we observe continuing reforms in the fight against corruption and minority rights, which is rather puzzling. Given the limited impact of the EU incentives, this paper brings back the 'domestic' into the analysis by exploring the role of various domestic actors, such as Turkish state elites, civil society and the media. Yet, as the empirical evidence suggests, policy change in the fight against corruption and minority rights has been driven by the domestic agenda of the governing party, the Justice and Development Party, and its political preferences based on strategic calculations.Article Citation - WoS: 34Citation - Scopus: 41Eu Conditionality Is Not the Only Game in Town! Domestic Drivers of Turkey's Europeanization(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2014) Yilmaz, GozdeDespite the weakened push by the European Union (EU) conditionality across time, Turkey's Europeanization process continues in a number of areas selectively. Focusing on such a puzzling trend, this article critically examines the role of EU conditionality on Turkey's Europeanization and unpacks domestic drivers of change. The article explores the impact of grassroots actors -Turkish civil society organizations, business interest groups, media and political parties- on domestic change in the last decade and argues that continuing reforms in many areas in an era of limited EU-push are influenced by domestic actors.Article Citation - WoS: 7Citation - Scopus: 5Use/Misuse of Chinese Bri Investment? Bri-Related Crony Capitalism in Turkey(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2023) Yildirim, Nilgun Elikucuk; Yilmaz, GozdeCrony capitalism as a type of capitalism entailing the close relations of political authorities and business circles based on mutual profit maximization is not a new phenomenon in Turkey. However, crony relations have accelerated with the Justice and Development Party (Adalet Kalkinma Partisi - AKP) rule. Despite growing scholarly work on crony relations in the AKP era, the literature remains inward-oriented without analysing the external dimension of crony capitalism, which this article intends to alleviate by providing an analysis of crony capitalism and bringing back the external dimension through an analysis of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-related crony relations. It argues that the case of Turkey demonstrates how the BRI is used to feed instrumental cronyism without the promotion of China and how recipient countries use and misuse Chinese BRI investments to create alternative resources for the government's cronies.Article Citation - WoS: 21Citation - Scopus: 20Authoritarian Diffusion or Cooperation? Turkey's Emerging Engagement With China(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2020) Yilmaz, Gozde; Elikucuk Yildirim, NilgunWith the recent trend of autocratization in the world, scholars have begun to focus on authoritarian diffusion, cooperation, and autocracy promotion. Despite still being at an early stage theoretically and empirically, this expansion of diffusion literature has informed us about the possibilities of authoritarian diffusion and cooperation. In contrast to the recent focus on regional patterns of authoritarian diffusion and cooperation, this article explores a global process of authoritarian cooperation between Turkey and China. Focusing on the growing economic and political linkages between Turkey and China, we argue that, rather than authoritarian diffusion or autocracy promotion from China to Turkey, the increasing pragmatic cooperation among authoritarian states is the new game in town, shaped by interest-driven calculations to bolster power internally and internationally.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 3Turkey in Between the Eu and China: From Europeanization To Cooperation With China(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2023) Yilmaz, Gozde; Yildirim, Nilgun ElikucukTurkey has been on the path of EU membership since the 2000s, and the democratization process was well underway during the initial years of its candidacy. However, this trend was reversed substantially, with Turkey growing increasingly authoritarian during the 2010s. This substantial democratic backsliding has led to increasing authoritarian cooperation with the authoritarian powers on the rise, one of which is China, whose increasing engagement and cooperation with Turkey marked an alternative gravity centre for Turkey to be pulled by. This article argues that Turkey, in line with the worsening domestic authoritarianism, has been engaging with the authoritarian powers for survival rather than engaging with the EU, which provided legitimacy to the rule of the AKP during the initial years of its rule.
