ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an analysis of legitimacy and governance in Turkey. Drawing on ethnographic material collected in the city of Aydin and on documentary sources, such as statistics, polls and electoral results. The discussion focuses on causes and possible implications of a situation marked by 'deficit of legitimacy', a crisis of governance and lack of trust. The chapter explores the erosion of trust in the political institutions and agencies and its impact at the grassroots. It examines impact of Turkey's preparations in view of possible future entry in the European Union (EU) on people's view of the 'deficit of legitimacy'. The concept of legitimacy is one of the oldest and perhaps most complicated issues in political science. In recent decades Turkish politics has been shaken by a series of events, which has led to further destabilization. Between 1980 and 1986, 30 trillion Turkish Lira had been transferred from wages and salaries as profit, interest and rent to the capitalist sector.
