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The iron law of Erdogan: the decay from intra-party democracy to personalistic rule

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  • Caroline Lancaster

Abstract

Michels’ ‘iron law of oligarchy’ suggests that oligarchic party rule is inevitable, yet many parties have shown a strong commitment to intra-party democracy. However, Turkey’s akp is a typified case of Michels’ law, displaying an explicit commitment to intra-party democracy, only to later abandon it. I ask what factors have facilitated this transformation. Why does the iron law of oligarchy display itself in some parties but not in others? I argue that intra-party democracy owes its existence to three indicators – inclusiveness, decentralisation and institutionalisation. Conversely, it should be observed that a party shifting from democratic to oligarchic or personalistic intra-party rule will display decreasing levels of these three indicators in terms of policy formation and candidate selection. By tracing akp’s internal party operations since its founding in 2001, I demonstrate a gradual deterioration in these indicators, reflecting a gradual deterioration of democracy within the party to oligarchy and then to personalism.

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  • Caroline Lancaster, 2014. "The iron law of Erdogan: the decay from intra-party democracy to personalistic rule," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(9), pages 1672-1690, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ctwqxx:v:35:y:2014:i:9:p:1672-1690
    DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2014.970866
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    Cited by:

    1. Murat Somer, 2019. "Turkey: The Slippery Slope from Reformist to Revolutionary Polarization and Democratic Breakdown," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 681(1), pages 42-61, January.
    2. H Bahadir Türk, 2018. "‘Populism as a medium of mass mobilization’: The case of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 21(2), pages 150-168, June.

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