TURKISH CONSTITUTIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF NEW INSTITUTIONALISM: THE IMPACT OF CONSTITUTIONS ON TURKISH POLITICAL LIFE

Özet

Throughout history, human beings have established social mechanisms in order to construct and organise the social sphere. These institutions, created to ensure order and control chaos, can be considered as political mechanisms. In the case of Turkey, this period began with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. Accordingly, the Constitutions of 1924, 1961 and 1982 can be considered as important political instruments, in other words, institutions for the construction of a new order in Turkey. These constitutional documents have not only been legal regulations, but also important instruments that have shaped social norms, political habits and power relations. Therefore, these texts have features that cannot be explained only by normative theory and positive law.   New institutionalism emphasises that constitutional institutions play an important role not only in the organisation of the state but also in shaping the political behaviour and values of society. Within the framework of the New Institutionalism approach, these constitutional texts and the institutional structures they create, how they regulate the relations between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, how the separation of powers is implemented, and within what limits political parties and civil society can act. This study aims to reveal the impact of constitutional amendments in Turkey on institutional structures and their reflections on social norms and political behaviour. As a result, analysing the 1924, 1961 and 1982 Constitutions from the perspective of New Institutionalism, as important turning points in Turkey's democratisation process, makes an important contribution to understanding how constitutional texts shape social and political structures and transform power relations.         

Keywords: Institutionalism, New Institutionalism, Turkish Constitutions, Political Behaviour, Democracy