ABSTRACT
The paper focuses on the question of whether or not the current level of corruption in Turkey constitutes a major drawback for European Union (EU) membership. After elaborating the different types of corruption in Turkey, the paper argues that a full-scale anti-corruption strategy should include not only policing-type regulations and improved institutional structures, but also systemic reforms to deal with patron-client networking, informality and tax evasion. Assuming that the EU anchor will continue to be important, the EU's impact on combating corruption in Turkey will be greater to the extent that the EU manages to better understand the full picture in Turkey with regard to corruption.
