REFORM IN EUROPEAN UNION CONDITIONALITY; AN ASSESSMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF POLICY TRANSFER

Abstract

The European Union (EU) is an international organization that almost many countries that want to develop economically and socially have to consider. The EU, which is formed by the coming together of different countries, sets common policies and wants to act within the framework of these policies. In line with the relevant policies, countries that are or want to become EU members are entering a policy transfer process. Policy transfer is defined as the transition of a policy belonging to a country to another country through comparison or experience, and the decision-making forms that countries take in this context. Policies previously implemented and reviewed in the transfer process are considered by policymakers and considered as a rational strategy to be used in decision making.
This study provides information on EU conditionality and obligations to the direction of the axis of decentralization reforms carried out in Turkey. Other reforms are excluded from the study. The analysis as to whether the local reforms organized during the EU membership process are an example of policy transfer is the main purpose of the study. In the study, qualitative research methods of document analysis method were used and study results revealed that the EU conditionality experienced reform process of Turkey a significant axis of decentralization.