Zibel, Ertan
(2007)
Globalisation and the role of the Turkish state: Case study of urban policy in Istanbul.
MPhil thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
Globalisation has been a dominant theme in much social science text over the last two decades. According to this literature, although one of the most significant changes in the world economy has been a dramatic increase in the mobility of capital, globalisation is not a purely economic phenomenon. Alongside the global economic change, there has been a distinct set of political changes, shifting the reach of political power and forms of rule. This economic and political transformation taking place globally redefines the roles of both the nation state and cities since a growing amount of mobile capital is attracted to particular world cities given the right mix of incentives and attributes. Due to changes in the economy of cities, contemporary cities are today being managed and governed with more proactive urban strategies of the central and local governments. In the light of these theoretical arguments, the thesis first examines political and economic changes in both the Turkish state and the city of Istanbul under the conditions of intensifying globalisation process. The thesis then reviews the changing authority relationship between the central government and the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul with reference to urban policies. Case study chapters proceed to explore globally oriented urban policies such as developing a new financial centre and hosting the Olympic Games drawing on the evidence collected through official documents and semi-structured interviews with the central and local actors. The research conducted identifies the roles of various central and local government bodies in determining recent urban policies in Istanbul. The evidence and analysis presented suggests that although accession to "world city" status due to globalisation has benefited many cities around the world, the lack of an effective role for local government in the case of Turkey has prevented the city of Istanbul from achieving its full potential because of inferior urban planning policies.
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