Abstract

After World War II, our world witnessed the regression of the statist ideologies. The new world was developing on the shoulders of liberal states with strong civil society. It is even more obvious now in our time. In the classic development literature, development is always accepted as a process led, controlled and monopolized by the state, especially on highly technical branches of development such as S&T development. In this thesis, the role of civil society on development even on extremely advanced areas is exhibited. Case studies were undertaken of in the different segments of civil society in Turkey. A social movement based in Turkey which pertains to a global network is subject of the case study. The study found that the role of civil society on development is beyond the task of gap-filling as a partner of the state, even sometimes civil society groups can progress right front of state policies. The thesis first examines the development theories of our last century and presents the decline of the statist approach to development, then offers a general study on civil society theories from a development approach. Turkey is the subject country of this study, so that scientific and technologic development of Turkey is presented. Later on, a transnational social movement, Hizmet movement is deeply analyzed related to social movement theories, after that the contributions of the movement toward S&T development of Turkey is exhibited and supported with the interviews made with the members of the movement. The result of the thesis study shows that, civil society groups can create alternative development methods on the contrary of the classic discourses as development under the monopolization of states. It is well explained that civil society can manage even known as specifically statist policies such as technical education, technology transfer, scientific development, industrial integration. The author suggests rethinking civil society as a development agency in terms of S&T development.

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