6 BYZANTINE ENERGY POLITICS: THE COMPLEX TALE …
177
capture in Turkey today. 81 Such lack of insulation of bureaucrats from
political pressures undermines the effectiveness of energy policy as preferences of well-positioned private actors and their politician patrons are
disproportionately represented in decision-making.
Conclusions
Since the turn of the century, international financial institutions, the EU
as well as civil society actors with increased environmental and energy
justice awareness, have put pressures on consecutive Turkish governments
to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. This chapter argues that despite their
efforts, the main driver of energy policies in Turkey has always been—and
still is—the Turkish state and its occupants. The AKP governments’ insistence on coal, natural gas, nuclear, and even hydropower in the past two
decades can be explained by the top-down, state-centric, growth-oriented,
neoliberal developmentalist political economy model that AKP inherited from previous governments but brought to a whole new level with
much deeper clientelistic networks and more widespread populist policies. AKP’s ambitious foreign policy goal of elevating Turkey to become
an energy hub has also fed into this fossil-fuel dependent growth path.
Finally, the increasing centralization and personalization of political power
has weakened bureaucratic capacity and politicized energy policy formulation and implementation. The Turkish case demonstrates the difficulties
in implementing and maintaining clean energy reforms in the context
of a state-dominated energy market, politicized and weak bureaucracy,
opportunistic developers, limited civil society activism, and complicated
relations with neighboring countries.
Notes
1. IEA (2019). During the same period natural gas consumption grew by
1,114% in China, 282% in India and 275% in Iran.
2. IEA (2016).
3. IEA (2019).
4. Enerdata: Global Energy Statistical Yearbook 2018, https://yearbook.ene
rdata.net.
5. EIA (2017).
6. “Turkey’s Energy Import Bill Up by 37% in 2017,” AA Energy, February
1, 2018, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/finance/turkeys-energy-imp
ort-bill-up-by-37-in-2017/18644.
177
capture in Turkey today. 81 Such lack of insulation of bureaucrats from
political pressures undermines the effectiveness of energy policy as preferences of well-positioned private actors and their politician patrons are
disproportionately represented in decision-making.
Conclusions
Since the turn of the century, international financial institutions, the EU
as well as civil society actors with increased environmental and energy
justice awareness, have put pressures on consecutive Turkish governments
to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. This chapter argues that despite their
efforts, the main driver of energy policies in Turkey has always been—and
still is—the Turkish state and its occupants. The AKP governments’ insistence on coal, natural gas, nuclear, and even hydropower in the past two
decades can be explained by the top-down, state-centric, growth-oriented,
neoliberal developmentalist political economy model that AKP inherited from previous governments but brought to a whole new level with
much deeper clientelistic networks and more widespread populist policies. AKP’s ambitious foreign policy goal of elevating Turkey to become
an energy hub has also fed into this fossil-fuel dependent growth path.
Finally, the increasing centralization and personalization of political power
has weakened bureaucratic capacity and politicized energy policy formulation and implementation. The Turkish case demonstrates the difficulties
in implementing and maintaining clean energy reforms in the context
of a state-dominated energy market, politicized and weak bureaucracy,
opportunistic developers, limited civil society activism, and complicated
relations with neighboring countries.
Notes
1. IEA (2019). During the same period natural gas consumption grew by
1,114% in China, 282% in India and 275% in Iran.
2. IEA (2016).
3. IEA (2019).
4. Enerdata: Global Energy Statistical Yearbook 2018, https://yearbook.ene
rdata.net.
5. EIA (2017).
6. “Turkey’s Energy Import Bill Up by 37% in 2017,” AA Energy, February
1, 2018, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/finance/turkeys-energy-imp
ort-bill-up-by-37-in-2017/18644.