ABSTRACT
Since this a book about politics, rather than economics, this chapter can give no more than a summary survey of the economic aims and performance of the AKP governments, concentrating on those aspects with the greatest political impact, and ignoring those which would probably be of interest mainly to economic or fi nancial specialists, while keeping the analysis at a simple level. It begins with an outline of the economic policies stated by AKP and the state of the economy at the time it came into offi ce, which set the agenda for the following years. This is followed by a survey of its performance, as indicated by the main trends in the economy after 2002. The chapter closes with an assessment of the economic priorities facing the government at the time of writing, in 2008.
