Neoliberalism with a Human Face: Making Sense of the Justice and Development Party's Neoliberal Populism in Turkey

Ten years in power, the Justice and Development Party (JDP) of Turkey has displayed its commitment to a neoliberal agenda. Despite this commitment, public opinion polls reveal that the party received the majority of its votes from the poorest sections of society. Analysis of this anomaly calls for use of a theoretical concept "neoliberal populism," whereby political leadership secures the hegemony of the power bloc dominated by the big bourgeoisie over the subordinate classes. The neoliberal dimension of neoliberal populism became manifest in the JDP's economic policies that rewarded the bourgeoisie: legalizing flexible labor, weakening welfare, and subcontracting the state's welfare provision duties to the private sector. The party displayed its populism in the form of skyrocketing means-tested social assistance programs. The JDP also made use of the symbolic/ideological sphere to constitute its hegemony by identifying the party with "common sense" in Turkey. Through embracing conservatism, Islamism and nationalism, the JDP attempted to take on some of the values of those it aims to lead, linking with existing elements of popular culture.