Master Thesis Defense: Ezgi Şiir Kıbrıs

Politically Connected Firms

Ezgi Şiir Kıbrıs
Political Science, M.Sc. Thesis, 2015

Thesis Jury
Özge Kemahlıoğlu(Thesis Supervisor), İzak Atiyas, Işıl Cerem Cenker Özek, Gizem Çakmak (Substitute Jury)

Date &Time: August,5th, 2015 – 15:00

Place: FASS 2080

Abstract

This research provides a descriptive analysis of politically connected firms and

connected individuals in Turkey between 1998 and 2015. The data of parliamentarian

between 18th and 24th legislative periods of Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the data

of boards of the directors collected from Istanbul Stock Market and Public Disclosure

Platform are utilized for identifying businessman politicians, politician businessmen and

politically connected firms in Turkey.

Relying on Faccio’s method of direct connections, the study defines a firm as

politically connected if at least one of the members of the board of directors is a

parliamentarian; or at least one of the members of the board of the directors was a

parliamentarian; or a former member of the board of the directors enters into the parliament.

The data of 703 firms traded in Stock Market İstanbul are analyzed. Among them, politically

connected firms according to years, sectors and parties are stated. After that, politically

connected individuals are displayed for understanding which parties have more businessmen

individuals and if there are ministers among them. The thesis at the end, aims to document the

change and continuity in the relationship between business and politics in Turkey across

different political parties from the 1980s on.