Politics of Favoritism in Public Procurement in Turkey

Esra Çeviker Gürakar is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Okan University, Istanbul, Turkey. Her research focuses on political economy, institutional economics, and law and economics. Her recent papers on public procurement in Turkey include “Business Networks and Public Procurement in Turkey”, “Political Connections and Public Procurement in Turkey: Evidence from the Construction Work Contracts” and “Does Public E-Procurement Deliver What It Promises? Empirical Evidence from Turkey.” She can be contacted at esragurakar@gmail.com.

1. Introduction and Overview.- 2. Politics of Government-Business Relations in Turkey: Deep-Rooted Structures and New Tensions.- 3. Political Economy of Reform and Backlash in the Public Procurement System: Third Party Enforcement vs. the Political Settlement in Turkey.- 4. Redistribution or Crony Capitalism? Favoritism in Public Procurement Contract Award Processes.- 5. Conclusion.

“Politics of Favoritism in Public Procurement in Turkey sheds new light into an important aspect of contemporary Turkish politics that has received only scant scholarly attention. In particular, the empirical evidence presented in the book on the firms that succeeded in winning the procurement contracts makes an original contribution to the literature. The book will be especially useful for those interested in political favoritism, clientelism, and patronage in Turkey.” (Sabri Sayarı, Middle East Journal, Vol. 72 (3), 2018)