Turkish Aid Allocation in Turbulent Times: Changes and Continuities in Turkish Aid Modality

Abstract

This paper investigates how Turkey has adjusted its foreign aid behavior over international and domestic shifts after the July 15 Coup Attempt. There have recently been exceptional developments in international/regional power structures whereby Turkey has a centrality, e.g., the war between Ukraine and Russia. Similarly, main pillars of Turkey’s foreign policy have been modified, best exemplified in increasingly strong sings of insecurity and lack of trust between Turkey and its erstwhile strategic partners. More importantly for Turkish aid allocation, a new framework – ‘Turkish-type Development Assistance Model’ (TDAM) has been introduced in late 2010s. As a result, the structural context in the early 2000s which has assisted Turkey in ascending the donor ranks has been gradually giving way to more ambiguous and elusive outlook for many types of international cooperation including foreign aid. To this background, the paper utilizes an interpretive analytical framework based on the critical analysis of key statements as well as on descriptive statistical analysis of databases (such as OECD and TIKA), and compares discursive, practical, and institutional patterns of Turkish aid allocation between the periods of 2003-2015 and 2016-2022 with the purpose of identifying the changes and continuities in Turkish development assistance with a macro-lens. It is concluded that given the growing polarization and competition in development landscape, TDAM should be seen as a robust and operational alternative for the maintenance of ‘relevant and impactful development assistance’ by embodying practical ways of ensuring mutual development without a secret agenda.