A Qualitative Inquiry from the Aegean Region: Changing Ruling Class in Business Circles

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the Turkish ruling class in business circles and to detect possible changes that might have occurred in the past ten to fifteen years. In the 2002 general elections, the ruling political party changed, and an Islamic-oriented party, AKP (Justice and Development Party), secured office. The following years presented observable changes in the Turkish political life, which may have caused related changes in the ruling class profile of the business circles in the country. In the aftermath of these changes, the current study attempts to portray the present ruling class of business in Turkey from an Aegean perspective. A series of in-depth interviews were conducted with carefully selected actors of the business, political and academic circles from the Aegean Region. The findings exhibited a change in the ruling class profile in business circles and presented a description of this class.