Is Turkey democratizing with EU reforms?: an assessment of human rights, corruption and socio-economic conditions

Abstract

This study draws attention to corruption, human rights violations and economic instability as impeding factors of democratization in Turkey until the late 1990s. It is investigated if these conditions have been changing with reforms during Turkey's candidacy to the European Union since 1999. The analysis indicates that the level of politicians' accountability is still low and corruption still continues to be a significant problem. Regarding human rights, whereas physical integrity rights such as protection from torture and political imprisonment have been slightly progressing, political, civil and social rights, such as freedom of expression and association, seem unchanged from the pre-candidacy period. However, economic reforms appear to be effective as income levels have been improving.