Europeanisation of Regional Policy and Regional Governance: The Case of Turkey

Since the EU’s Helsinki decision in 1999 to officially admit Turkey as a candidate country, Turkey’s territorial governance has been increasingly challenged towards a more regionalised model. This article offers an analysis of the causes and mechanisms which act upon the development of regional governance in Turkey during the EU pre-accession process. Based on interviews conducted during Summer and Autumn of 2003, this article argues that it is the interaction between state norms, ideas about regional economic development and EU conditionality which constitute the main causes of domestic stability and change in Turkey’s regional governance