ABSTRACT
In this chapter a theoretical framework will be developed based on theories of party organization and political leadership.1 At the heart of this framework will be Panebianco’s (1988) notion of party “institutionalization.” Nevertheless, the framework developed here is not merely an application of Panebianco’s theory. Rather, it points to a problem that has not been fully addressed by Panebianco and those applying his theoretical work: the main dimensions of party institutionalization, “autonomy” and “systemness,” as he calls them, may not always be related to each other in a positive correlation; they may, in fact, require political leaders to trade off one dimension against the other and lead to difficult strategic choices (see below). In theoretical terms, this dilemma is the main focus of this study. Moreover, Panebianco’s relatively general framework will have to be extended in order to understand the precise interactions within the party and in the Turkish party system. In addition, individual chapters will often refer to further theoretical work that may be better suited to conceptualize or explain the detail of developments below the level of the “bigger picture” of the dilemma of institutionalization.
