The socio-economic examination of construction sector in post-2000 period: The case of Osmangazi Bridge

The construction sector, which became one of the dominant sectors of the economy in our country in the 2000s, played an important role in the capital accumulation process. In this period, there have been many new developments in the construction sector, especially from the restructuring of the Mass Housing Administration, to the bidding processes or to the structural arrangements related to urban development, to the mega projects realized by the Public-Private Partnership agreements. Public-Private Partnership projects brought a new dimension to state-capital relations in 2000s.The government has made some arrangements in favor of the capital segments, from the undertaking of financial risks to the projects to the guarantee of demand for the service. The results of these projects in terms of the labor segment are the roads and bridges that are not preferred to be used due to high prices and undertaking their costs socially over the indirect taxes rising day by day. On the other hand, while the growth figures related to the construction sector are reflected to the statistics every day, the work accidents in this sector did not slow down, and the precarious and subcontractor working system continued as the main determinant of the working relations. In this regard, Osmangazi Bridge was examined as a factual example and the Public-Private Partnership agreement was questioned through this example. Therefore, the aim of the study is to question the results of the developments in the construction sector, especially through projects carried out in the form of Public-Private Partnership, and to present the developments in the construction sector in the context of state-capital, labor-capital relations. As a result, it is observed that the use of Osmangazi Bridge is lower than the target; the toll of the bridge has been considered expensive by the society; the lack of demand for the use of the bridge is obligated to be paid by the Turkish government, that enables the transfer of public resources to the private sector and paves the way for acumulation through Public Private Partnership projects; and accordingly society bears the costs of the bridge. Keywords: Construction Sector, Public-Private Partnership Contracts, State-Capital Relationship, Osmangazi Bridge, Clientalist Relations