Thinkers and political figures
Portrait: Via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Country
- Türkiye
- Era
- b. 1954
- Tradition
- Religious conservatism, national populism
Leader of Türkiye since 2003, who replaced the parliamentary system with a strong executive presidency, reversed elements of state secularism, and combined infrastructure-led growth with unorthodox monetary policy.
01
Documented positions
Documented positions come from the sources listed. Similarity is this project’s inference from those positions, and is a much weaker claim.
- Constitutional referendum in 2017 replacing the parliamentary system with an executive presidency
- Reversal of restrictions on religious dress in public institutions and expansion of religious schooling
- Reconversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque in 2020
- Sustained pressure on courts and media, including mass dismissals after the 2016 coup attempt
- Insistence on low interest rates during high inflation, against orthodox central banking
02
Where it sits on each dimension
Wealth and inequality
52
RedistributionMarket outcomes
Evidence: Documented
The state in the economy
44
Active stateLimited state
Evidence: Documented
Personal liberty
14
Collective orderIndividual freedom
Evidence: Well documented
Tradition and change
18
ContinuityReform
Evidence: Well documented
Nation and the world
88
InternationalistNationalist
Evidence: Well documented
Religion and the state
86
Secular stateReligion in public life
Evidence: Well documented
Power and its limits
12
Concentrated authorityChecks and pluralism
Evidence: Well documented
Crime and punishment
18
PunishmentRehabilitation
Evidence: Documented
Dimensions left unscored, for want of evidence: Environment and growth
Sources
- Constitutional referendum establishing the executive presidency · Republic of Türkiye · 2017
- V-Dem Democracy Report, Türkiye country profile · V-Dem Institute · 2024 Source (opens in a new tab)
Last verified: