Abstract

In Turkey, the fight against corruption has been long, arduous, and largely unsuccessful. Rapid economic growth in a neo-liberalizing state has done little to curtail corruption, where bribery is endemic. The authors embed this phenomenon within Turkish culture, including the high levels of “power distance” (degree to which members of a society expect and accept unequal distribution of power), collectivism (tendency to privilege members of in-groups at the expense of outsiders), the country’s low level of interpersonal trust, and a paternalistic set of values that legitimizes the patronage networks set up by authority figures. Although Turkey has taken steps to reduce corruption, partly due to attempts to join the European Union, it has little to show for its efforts.