Abstract:

Expanded involvement of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the environmental governance has become further visible in the past few decades. To this end, this study is aimed to examine the role and influenceof NGOs on environmental governance in Turkey through distinct scientific explanatory framework including politicization, public attitudes, policy process, institutional structure, and output-bases.Consensus in policy making and scientific circle indicate that environmental protection is increasingly institutionalized and managed with growing participatory approaches in developing countries. Though some green NGOs continue to maintain hierarchical organization, and to provide their members with limited democratic rights, some have an increasing impact on policy process and environmental protection practices, especially through regular dialogue with policymakers, greater. Therefore, descriptive analysis in the study was conducted based on data provided from comprehensive reports, declaration, white paper and green policy statement of NGOs on their websites. Major findings of the study are that there has been adequate institutionalization capacity and manifold functions of NGOs in environmental governance, not a significant and powerful linkage of environmental NGOs with government and other environmental groups in Turkey.

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