Policy diffusion between the World Bank and Turkey: the social risk mitigation project
Author(s)
Advisor
Bölükbaşı, Hasan TolgaDate
2020-12Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
260
views
views
134
downloads
downloads
Abstract
Turkey adopted the Social Risk Mitigation Project (the SRMP) in 2001 with the
incentives of the World Bank (the WB) to recover the effects of the 1999 earthquake
and 2001 financial crisis on the poor. This thesis aims to indicate how conditionality,
learning, and emulation as policy diffusion mechanisms operated together in the
adoption process of the SRMP in Turkey. Policy diffusion literature generally tests
these mechanisms individually to explore whether or not they cause policy
adoptions. However, this thesis argues that diffusion mechanisms might be
interrelated and work in complementary ways in policy adoptions. The Turkish case
supports this argument by relying on process tracing methodology with semi-structured interview data and official documents. I argue that, during the adoption
process of the SRMP, conditionality serves as a facilitator to adopt the project due to
the financing by the WB. The WB, in the meanwhile, serves as a link establisher
between Turkey and Latin American countries in the learning process regarding the
possible outcomes of the project in addition to financing it. Emulation operates
together with conditionality and learning with the emphasis on the prestige of the
project among the international community due to the modernization of the social
assistance institutions of Turkey. Both Turkish officials and the WB consider the
adoption of the project as a prestigious and appropriate attitude.