Conclusion

Abstract

This book has examined the primary traits of Turkish water bureaucracy and articulated how this bureaucracy understood and perceived the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). More importantly it has assessed the understandings and perceptions reflected in the administration of water resources in Turkey. The core argument is that Turkish water bureaucracy has distinct and deeply embedded national characteristics, which come from the historical and social development of Turkish society, government, and politics; in other words, its political culture. This political culture is socially constructed in a way that inhibits water policy-making in Turkey and encourages a single-minded, engineering dominated, paternalistic, and non-participatory water management system. Moreover, if Turkey becomes an EU member, this culture complicates the question of compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), which is based on the concept of IWRM. This book demonstrates that interpretation and implementation of IWRM mostly depends on the political culture of a country. If such a culture does not support a participatory, transparent and answerable political system, then IWRM becomes impossible to achieve. There are five propositions in this book and each chapter systematically has analysed them. They are reviewed below: