New Capitalism in Turkey

The Relationship between Politics, Religion and Business

Ayşe Buğra and Osman Savaşkan, Bogazici University, Turkey

New Capitalism in Turkey explores the changing relationship between politics, religion and business through an analysis of the contemporary Turkish business environment.

‘New Capitalism in Turkey is a theoretically nuanced and empirically rich book. Buğra and Savaşkan provide us with a fresh, detailed and annotated account of the changes taking place in the domain of political economy in Turkey. In doing so, they challenge many commonly-held assumptions about government-business relations, the intra-business relations, the secular-Islamic cleavage, and the political strategies and discourses of the main actors. The data sources of the book are also rich and include a wide range of primary sources, including the ones collected through fieldwork. This timely book should be a required reading for all students of Turkish politics.’
– Gamze Cavdar, Middle East Policy Council

‘This theoretically informing book provides one of the strongest analyses of Turkish political economy. Buğra and Savaşkan decisively dispel myths regarding the new, allegedly self-made and “small” entrepreneurs who form the backbone of Turkish success. Drawing on original documents, interviews, and statistics, they demonstrate that politics (as practiced by regimes, parties, and associations) has “made” the Turkish pious business class. No one can think of markets and market actors in the same way after reading this book.’
– Cihan Ziya Tugal, UC Berkeley, US

‘This impressive work places Turkey firmly on the map of comparative politics and political economy. It adds intriguing facets to what we know about the relationship between the state, democracy and capitalist development in an age of neoliberalism. It also sheds new light on the role of religion in economic change and class formation in emerging countries on the periphery of contemporary capitalism. Moreover, in emphasizing the role of business associations in the politically sponsored rise of a post-Fordist model of globalized national capitalism, the book provides exciting new insights on a subject that has been regrettably neglected in recent years.’
——沃尔夫冈•Streeck新学校社会复位arch, US

‘Power has shifted in Turkey over the last decade, both within business and the state, towards groups with religious-conservative rather than Kemalist-secular sensibilities. This book goes deep inside this transformation to analyze the role of Muslim business networks and their relationship with the state. You will not find a better guide to Turkey’s emergent new capitalism.’
– Dani Rodrik, Institute for Advanced Study, US