Europeanization under Membership Uncertainty: The Cases of Environmental and Energy Policy in Turkey

Abstract

This article examines modalities of rule adoption from the EU’s acquis communautaire under conditions of membership uncertainty. Drawing upon the case of Turkey, we probe into the viability of a policy-type approach (drawing upon Theodor Lowi). Our main contention is that the substantive design of policies (distributive or redistribitive qualities) has consequential im- plications for the form (conflict-free vs. veto player constellations) and outcome (transposition likelihood) of the subsequent political process. The proposed policy-type approach, internalist in its outlook, is thus readily compatible with available Europeanization models which are ex- ternalist insofar as being premised on the study of domestic politics. In terms of policymaking, the EU needs to make more frequent use of policy-based intermediate rewards to encourage rule adoption where membership prospects are uncertain.

Keywords

Europeanization, Energy and Environmental Policy, Membership Uncertainty, Turkey-EU Relations

Citation

Yıldırım, Çağrı, Baysan, Alper and Volkan Ş. Ediger, “Europeanization under Membership Uncertainty: The Cases of Environmental and Energy Policy in Turkey”, Uluslararası İlişkiler, Volume 10, No. 39 (Autumn 2013), p. 131-152.

Affiliations

• Çağrı YILDIRIM, Visiting Researcher, Kadir Has University
• Alper BAYSAN, Graduate Student, Sabancı University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Volkan Ş. EDİGER, Prof. Dr., Kadir Has University, Coordinator of Strategy Development and Research and Head of Energy Systems Engineering Department