Master Thesis Defense: Lisa Jeanne Reppell
Debate and Public Agenda: Turkish Opposition Parties and the Policymaking Process 1983-2015
Lisa Jeanne Reppell
Political Science, MA Thesis, 2015
Thesis Jury
Ersin Kalaycıoğlu(Thesis Supervisor), Emre Hatipoğlu, Sabri Sayarı
Date &Time: June,5th 2015 – 14:00
Place: Karaköy Minerva Han
Abstract
In a legislative system such as Turkey’s in which the institutional design favors governance
over inclusiveness, what role do opposition parties play in the legislative process? Previous
studies have investigated elite and mass attitudes towards political opposition, case studies of
individual opposition parties and the institutionalization of the party system, but an empirical
exploration of the contribution of opposition parties to the Turkish policymaking process is
lacking. Applying a framework engineered by political scientist Frank R. Baumgartner, this
thesis quantifies and analyzes general debate in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the
magnitude of media coverage of these debates from 1983 to 2015 in order to gain insight into
the tools of political conflict used by opposition parties in the Turkish legislative system. This
thesis concludes that when the forces of political conflict are played out against the backdrop
of a not fully institutionalized legislative system, subject to a lack of linkages between
legislators and outside actors, and operating in a less free media climate, Baumgartner’s
framework reveals an inconsistent picture and the patterns of conflict that are revealed in the
Turkish case reflect a larger struggle in finding a balance between stability and democracy.