STRUCTURAL FISCAL REFORMS AND IMF CONDITIONALITY IN TÜRKİYE: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE 1998–2008 PERIOD

Abstract

This study examines the role of International Monetary Fund (IMF)-supported programs in the process of structural fiscal reform in Türkiye. Utilizing data from the IMF Conditionality Database and the IMF-MONA database, the study investigates, within the framework of descriptive content analysis, the key areas and temporal patterns of policy conditionalities and structural reform proposals included in these programs. The analysis focuses on identifying the areas and timeframes in which IMF conditionalities aligned with the structural transformation of Türkiye’s public finances. The findings indicate that IMF-related conditionalities primarily encompassed strengthening fiscal discipline, enhancing transparency and accountability, improving the efficiency of public spending, strengthening debt management, improving tax administration, and restructuring state-owned enterprises. The conditionalities and structural reform proposals associated with IMF-supported programs, which were particularly concentrated during the 1998–2008 period, coincided with significant legal and institutional reforms implemented in Türkiye’s public financial management. However, the implementation of these reforms and their resulting outcomes cannot be attributed solely to IMF conditionalities; Türkiye’s domestic political and economic conditions, the 2001 economic crisis, the European Union accession process, and the country’s own reform preferences also played important roles in shaping the reform process.