THE SIGNS AND COSTS OF THE ELECTION ECONOMY IN THE ELECTIONS TOOK PLACE DURING THE PERIOD OF 2002-2018 IN TURKEY

Authors : Şahin ÇETİNKAYA

Pages : 36-45

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Publication Date : 2019-03-25

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The election economy has passed to the literature of economics as the economic appearance of political structure’s populist policies. In the period of 2002-2018 12 elections and referendums took place in Turkey. 5 general elections, 1 presidential election, 3 local elections, and 3 plebiscites were done in sixteen years. According to the definition of M.Eğilmez in his article with the title ‘’The Election Economy’’; it can be described as the government’s using and directing means of the economy for this purpose in order to come into power again in the next elections. Increases in the wages of officers, raising pensions and minimum wages, agricultural supports, decreasing tax rates, remitting tax penalties and delaying tax payments are the main means of the election economy using fiscal policy. In every electoral period, treasury grants given to the political parties and election expenses have increased public burden significantly.
Keywords : The Election Economy, Inflation, Unemployment, Exhortations