English books
Co-publication with Other Foreign Publishers
The Dynamics of Dominance in Erdoğan’s Turkey: The Politics of Attraction
Edward Elgar
This incisive book offers a compelling analysis of Turkey’s political transformation over the past two decades. It unpacks the puzzle of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s enduring rule, challenging prevailing assumptions about authoritarianism and political longevity.
Introducing the concept of the politics of attraction, Hazama situates Turkey within a broader comparative context of emerging democracies. Drawing on rigorous, data-driven research, the book explains how economic performance, social protection, and potent rhetoric combined to sustain Erdoğan’s popularity. It shows that Turkey’s drift toward authoritarianism is better understood as a consequence rather than a cause of the Justice and Development Party’s declining electoral dominance. By illuminating the mechanics of dominant-party systems, the nexus between economic performance and political support, and the pathways from democracy to authoritarianism, this book provides fresh theoretical and empirical insights.
A vital resource for scholars and students of political science, international relations, and public policy, it will also be indispensable to policymakers and diplomats seeking to understand and engage with this pivotal geopolitical actor.
■ The Dynamics of Dominance in Erdoğan’s Turkey: The Politics of Attraction
■ Yasushi Hazama
■ 288pp
■ 2026
■ ISBN978-1-03538-822-6
Contents
Introduction: why does the dominant party system persist?
PART I THE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE POLITICS OF ATTRACTION
1. What is the Justice and Development Party? Its features as a political party
2. The halo effect: economic performance and voters
3. Protection effect: social welfare expansion
4. Discursive power: from democracy to populism
PART II THE DECAY OF THE POLITICS OF ATTRACTION
5. Crisis and opportunity: the attempted coup of July 2016
6. From party dominance to leader dominance: the centralized presidential system
7. Signs of collapse: decline in governance and financial crisis
8. Erdoğan’s victory and defeat: the elections of 2023 and 2024
Conclusion: from attraction politics to political incompetence
Postscript to The Dynamics of Dominance in Erdoğan’s Turkey