The Corruption Assessment Report for Turkey is the product of the research conducted by TESEV’s Good Governance program under the Southeast European Leadership for Development and Integrity (SELDI) initiative. This report documents the agenda of the first phase of the SELDI partnership that spans 2012 through 2014. Along with presenting evidence on the degree of corruption in Turkey, the report analyzes the current legal setting and the effects of corruption on the economy. It emphasizes the importance of a free judicial system, the role of civil society, and the benefits of international collaboration in fighting corruption. The report also offers possible solutions to fighting corruption, focusing on the elements that make corruption commonplace.
The survey presented in this report was conducted between February 28th and March 11th, 2014 and the results indicate an increase in the number of respondents who view corruption as the most significant policy issue in Turkey. 44% of the respondents believe that corruption is the most urgent problem to tackle and 9% declared that they gave a bribe in the past year, far surpassing the levels indicated by the surveys done in the EU.
Since the early 2000s, a number of international organizations have criticized Turkey’s anti-corruption laws and policies, to which Turkey has responded by showing its willingness to reduce the levels of corruption to European standards through various programs. Among these, the most significant study is the 2010-2014 National Anti-Corruption Strategy published under the instigation and guidance of organizations including GRECO, which provides a legal framework for anti-corruption strategies.
Full text of the report in English (Adobe PDF, 726 KB)
Full text of the report in Turkish (Adobe PDF, 686 KB)
Presentation of the Corruption Assessment Report for Turkey, 26 February 2015
