Administrative reforms in Türkiye's membership process to the European Union: A periodic examination in the context of policy transfer

The purpose of this study is to analyze the administrative reforms carried out during the AK Party governments' tenure (2002-2011) in Turkey within the context of the European Union membership process using the policy transfer model. Within the scope of the study, the evaluation of the success or failure of reforms in terms of causality, the analysis of the dynamics that have played a role since the initiation of reform efforts, and the determination of the influence of these dynamics on shaping the content of reforms are aimed through the policy transfer model. The analysis claims that the administrative reforms implemented during the relevant period can be seen as a compelling policy transfer process due to the conditionality of the European Union (EU) when evaluated from a long-term perspective. During the 2002-2011 period, policy learning has taken a more bottom-up approach among bureaucrats and has partially institutionalized. The logic of policy transfer has continued to be technical improvements in policy-making. Throughout the policy transfer process between 2002 and 2011, potential veto players were overcome, and all intended policy changes were accepted. Compared to the pre-2000 period, the Government now has a much more diverse and differentiated set of policy instruments regarding administrative reforms. It is believed that this expands the scope of policy intervention carried out by the relevant governments.