Conclusions

Abstract

This book is the first attempt to explore the dynamics of policy process in an empirical manner in Turkey. Within the framework of the Turkish Policy Agendas Project, we compiled Turkey’s first longitudinal data series on policy agendas and attempted to explain the policymaking patterns under distinct political conditions, comparing the issue attention patterns in democratic and non-democratic periods and majoritarian and coalition/minority governments. We capitalized on a variety of data sources including media coverage, legislative speeches and bills, public budgets, public opinion polls, and party manifestos to examine several important research questions relating to empirical democratic theory and representation. In this chapter, we summarize our findings and explain their implications for various fields of study, in addition to suggesting new directions for future research.