Civil society, Europeanization and democratic consolidation: Changing role of MUSIAD

The EU candidacy process that started in 1999 enforced to have democratic reforms in Turkey. This process also brought Europeanization of civil society which has influence on democratic consolidation in Turkey particularly through the mechanisms of EU funds, harmonization with EU acquis, and social learning processes. Firstly, through the mechanism of EU funds, civil society organizations have the opportunity to initiate their own projects. Secondly, through the mechanism of harmonization with EU acquis, substantial reforms have been made for development and liberation of civil society. Thirdly, through the mechanism of social learning processes some civil society organisations started to change their discourses and form coalitions with different organizations in Turkey and Europe. With these type of mechanisms, the EU became a significant foreign actor promoting democratic consolidation in Turkey particularly through the civil society organizations. Democratic consolidation literature in general accepts civil society as an important actor that promotes this process. However, an analysis of the contribution of civil society organizations to Turkish democracy brings up mixed results. While most of the civil society organizations give support to Europeanization and democratic consolidation processes, they actually interpret principles of democracy from different perspectives. This thesis examines one of those organizations, Independent Businessmen Association (Müstakil İş Adamları Derneği - MUSIAD), as an influential actor in Turkey. It explains whether MÜSİAD contributes to democratic consolidation in Turkey based on four conditions that civil society organizations should meet: (i) Intra-organizational democracy and protection of democratic values, (ii) raising public consciousness, (iii) mediation between state and society, (iv) protection of the rights of underrepresented groups. In an attempt to find an answer to the failure of MUSIAD in democratic consolidation in Turkey, this thesis analyzes the process by referring to the New Institutionalism and its variants Rational-choice Institutionalism, Sociological Institutionalism and Historical Institutionalism.