Weak States,Unruly Capitalists,and the Rise of Étatism in Late Developers: The Case of Turkey

Understanding why some nations turned to étatism in the early stages of economy building remains central to political economy. A general consensus, although it comes in different versions, holds that étatism became the developmental policy in nations where indigenous entrepreneurial classes were weak and small. Traditional accounts of Turkish turn to étatism in the 1930s generally draw on this premise. This article challenges these perspectives that associate étatism with a strong state and a weak entrepreneurial class. I argue that the turn to étatism in Turkey did not simply result from the developmental shortcomings of the newly emerging private sector. The state's own shortcomings at governing the newly emerging class of self-interest seeking entrepreneurs, and instituting order in the markets was a major factor.     

Kosovo Revisited: Humanitarian Intervention on the Fault Lines of International Law

The asserted doctrine of unilateral humanitarian interventionhas given rise to considerable debate in international law.This article revisits the use of force in Kosovo to criticallyappraise this debate. The arguments for and against the doctrineare schematically compared and contrasted. Their differencesare methodological, but underlying factors are relevant. Thesemay include a conflict of values (notably, sovereignty versushuman rights), but certainly involve deep disciplinary problemsevidenced by confusing international legal terminology and,especially, the contradictions inherent in identifying and changingrules of general/customary international law. Three factorsare considered as potentially helpful in bridging these faultlines: state practice (unavoidably), the stability of the internationalsystem and accountability. The latter two, at least, sit uncomfortablywith unilateralism.     

A device for false measurements of oil depths in an oil tanker

This paper describes a case in which a cleverly designed oil-depth measuring device in an oil tanker was used to give a false indication of the amount of oil present. The mode of operation was successfully solved by theoretical analysis.     

Decriminalizing the issuance of bad checks in Turkey: an analysis of the effects of changes in penalties

The aim of this study is to carry out an economic analysis of the consequences that arose following the decriminalization of the issuance of bad checks in Turkey. In our statistical analysis we examined the legal situation of bouncing checks in three periods: before 2009 when the issuance of bad checks was subject to imprisonment, between 2009 and 2012 when a partial decriminalization took place and between 2012 and 2014 when the issuance of bouncing checks was fully decriminalized and penalties were reduced to only administrative fines. We test the hypotheses that partial or full decriminalization led to a rise in the number of bad checks in Turkey. We find that there is no statistical evidence for an association between the first, modest step of the decriminalization process (Law No. 5941) and the frequency with which checks bounced in Turkey. However, full decriminalization of bouncing checks (Law No. 6273) led to an increase in the frequency of bad checks. We also find that the establishment of a Risk Center by the Bank Association of Turkey helped to identify customers not worthy of credit and was successful in decreasing the frequency of bad checks. We conclude that in the case of Turkish check law imprisonment was more effective in deterring writers of bad checks than the administrative and civil sanctions that are now in place. Nonetheless, private credit screening efforts also promoted the targeted policy goal of limiting the number of bad checks in Turkey.