Democratic Erosion and European Engagement: Insights from Turkey and Beyond

How do European values hold up in an age of democratic backsliding? In this episode, Dr. Berk Esen, Associate Professor of Political Science at Sabancı University, joins host Emily Jones to discuss how democracy is evolving in Turkey and beyond, what parallels can be drawn with the United States, and what lessons Europe can learn from its engagement with countries like Turkey, Hungary, and Serbia. This episode is part of The European Dialogue podcast series, produced by the EU-VALUES Jean Monnet Network. You can listen on Spotify, YouTube, or SoundCloud—links below. Drawing on Dr. Esen’s research on party politics, authoritarianism, and democratic erosion, this discussion examines how European values are perceived from outside the EU, where double standards persist, and what tools remain for protecting democracy globally. Key Topics Covered: - How European values are viewed from a Turkish perspective - Similarities and differences in democratic erosion between Turkey and the United States - Europe’s balance between strategic interests and democratic principles - Comparative insights from Hungary and Serbia - What lessons Europe can draw to strengthen democratic resilience Further Reading — Dr. Berk Esen’s Work: - Esen, Berk, and Sebnem Gumuscu. "Rising competitive authoritarianism in Turkey." Third world quarterly 37, no. 9 (2016): 1581-1606. - Esen, Berk, and Sebnem Gumuscu. "Why did Turkish democracy collapse? A political economy account of AKP’s authoritarianism." Party Politics 27, no. 6 (2021): 1075-1091. - Esen, Berk, and Sebnem Gumuscu. "How Erdoğan's populism won again." Journal of Democracy 34, no. 3 (2023): 21-32. - Esen, Berk, and Sebnem Gumuscu. "Turkey: How the coup failed." Journal of Democracy 28, no. 1 (2017): 59-73. - Yavuzyılmaz, Hakan, and Berk Esen. "Formal yet ineffective opposition coordination under competitive authoritarianism: Nation Alliance in Turkey." Third World Quarterly 46, no. 2 (2025): 237-257. - Esen, Berk. "Judicial transformation in a competitive authoritarian regime: Evidence from the Turkish case." Law & Policy 47, no. 1 (2025): e12250. 🌐 Visit our website to listen to more episodes, watch our vidoes or join our live webinar events: www.eu-values.eu 📲 Follow us for more insights: Instagram 👉 www.instagram.com/euvalues.eu LinkedIn 👉 www.linkedin.com/company/eu-values-network Bluesky 👉 bsky.app/profile/euvaluesnetwork.bsky.social Spotify 🎧 👉 open.spotify.com/show/4bmecvWt1As2M4cRBsyW6i SoundCloud 👉 @euvaluesnetwork #Democracy #EuropeanValues #Europe #Türkiye #Turkey #Authoritarianism #EUPolitics #PoliticalScience