at Google ScholarTitle data
Dorlach, Tim:
The AKP Between Populism and Neoliberalism : Lessons from Pharmaceutical Policy.
In: New Perspectives on Turkey.
Vol. 55
(2016)
.
- pp. 55-83.
ISSN 1305-3299
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/npt.2016.23
Abstract in another language
In September 2009, Turkey experienced a major reform of its pharmaceutical expenditure and price policy. By introducing a global budget, Turkey saved some 20 billion TL in public pharmaceutical expenditure in the 2010–2012 period. The lion’s share of this was achieved by introducing stricter price controls that reduced the profit margins of pharmaceutical producers and distributors (the populist policy solution), rather than by privatizing the cost of medicines through, for example, raising out-of-pocket payments (the neoliberal policy solution). This is a puzzle, given the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) government’s usual preference for lenient and business-friendly regulation. This article explains the policy reform with reference to (i) the pronounced electoral interests of the AKP’s political leadership in not substantially reducing access to public health services, (ii) the absence of powerful business interests in high medicine prices, and (iii) the absence of a developmentalist commitment to an industrial policy strategy for the pharmaceutical sector. This case study holds important lessons for scholars of Turkish politics. It suggests that externally the AKP’s economic and social policies are driven by the interests of its two major constituencies (namely, lower-class voters and “Anatolian capital”), while internally they are shaped by two camps of policy makers (namely, neoliberal-minded technocrats and election-focused party leaders).
Further data
| Item Type: | Article in a journal |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Keywords: | AKP; populism; neoliberalism; pharmaceutical policy; health policy |
| Institutions of the University: | Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health > Junior Professor Global Nutrition and Health Policy > Junior Professor Global Nutrition and Health Policy - Juniorprof. Tim Dorlach Ph.D. Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health > Junior Professor Global Nutrition and Health Policy |
| Result of work at the UBT: | No |
| DDC Subjects: | 300 Social sciences > 320 Political science |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Aug 2022 09:03 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Aug 2022 09:03 |
| URI: | https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/71326 |