The politics of state capitalism in a post-liberal international order: the case of Turkey

Abstract

This article discusses the transformation of the liberal international order, with reference to the ways in which global shifts affect the developmental paradigms among the emerging middle powers. Although it is rarely contested that the liberal order is being severely tested, the dynamics and potential consequences of this transformation are a matter of intense controversy. Also, the debate mainly focuses on great power politics, without paying adequate attention to the ways in which middle powers are influenced by and inform the transition to a post-liberal international order. By focusing on the case of Turkey, this article addresses whether non-Western great powers (Russia and China in particular) are leading the emergence of alternative order(s), and if so, through which mechanisms. Based on the reciprocal interactions between ideas, material capabilities, and institutions, I argue that the preferences of the Turkish ruling elites seem to be gradually shifting from a Western-oriented liberal model towards a variety of "state capitalism" as an alternative developmental paradigm in a post-liberal international order.

Southern middle powers and the liberal international order: The options for Brazil and South Africa

“…47 At the same time, Southern middle powers are open to joining alternative development institutions, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the BRICS-led New Development Bank, that are positioned outside the liberal order and potentially allow these states to pursue more interventionist strategies of state capitalism. 48 If the like-minded coalitions discussed above are also a prerequisite for effective action, then divisions between middle powers may hinder their prospects as leading multilateralists. Southern middle powers often prioritise status-seeking strategies, and status competition takes precedence over multilateral commitments, such as their compliance with, and fulfilment of, G20 targets.…”

The Global Political Economy of Right-wing Populism: Deconstructing the Paradox

“…For many of the key leaders of the global South, such as Erdoğan, Putin or Modi, the main objective is an alternative path to global governance with respect to the previously dominant Western-led international order with its associated set of economic and political governance arrangements. The phenomenal rise of China in recent years and the counterexample of a seemingly successful model of authoritarian capitalist economies juxtaposed against the increasingly flawed varieties of Western democratic capitalism sets the context in which right-wing populist leaders approach globalism (Bremmer 2010;Kurlantzick 2016;Öniş 2019;Kutlay 2019).…”

“…The erosion of rule of law, dismantling of independent regulatory institutions and failure to transition from a construction-based extractive growth model to high-technology production conditioned the institutional aspects of the recent economic crisis in the country. For details, seeÖniş (2019) andKutlay (2019).…”

Developmental States in the Twenty-First Century: New Wine into Old Bottles?

“…While relating to the other way to revise the DS concept, the latest experiences of new developmentalist experiments, the most recent experiences of East-Asian countries -not only in Northeast, but also or even more so in Southeast Asian countries, and according to some analysts also the particular development paths of China and India (Hua & Hu, 2015;Raquiza, 2012) might offer some lessons as well as the experiences of the most recent Latin American developmentalist experiments (Ricz, 2017;Schneider, 2015;Wylde, 2012Wylde, , 2017. The experiences of some quickly growing Sub Saharan African economies (Clapham, 2017;Biedermann, 2016;Hope, 2019;Ikpe, 2018Ikpe, , 2020Routley, 2014) and their Northern counterparts (such as Egypt) have to be taken into account, whereas even the recent statist models of Turkey and Iran, or even the non-developmental experiment of my home country, Hungary, can offer useful lessons (for the country case studies see the followings respectively Kutlay, 2020;Rózsa-Szigetvári, 2019;Kornai, 2015). We mainly rely on the first option in this paper, and the second option is only included here in the form of reviewing recent DS literature summing up recent developmentalist experiments 3 .…”