Think Tanks and NGO’s in Turkey and the Netherlands: A Comparative Perspective

In the second half of the 19th century appeared Non-governmental organisations in Europe; there were especially Catholic and Protestant religious institutions, non-religious institutions and non-governmental organisations that worked for labour movement in Europe. Non-governmental organisations constitute one of the essential components of democracy. According to the sociologist Jolles, was the gap between the governing and the governed filled by Think Tanks and communication networks of NGO’s in the beginning of the 20th century. After World War II, as the idea of individualism developed from 1960’s on, non-religious organisations gained speed. The Netherlands is one of the countries with an advanced education, democracy and thus advanced non-governmental organisations. Today, the power that keeps the Dutch society together is over one hundred thousand NGO’s it has. The Netherlands ranks the second in Europe regarding the membership to NGO’s and volunteering. 80% of the society is members of non-governmental organisations or volunteers. These non-governmental organisations, as one of the most basic components of the democracy, influence both local and regional level governors and also national and international level governors and their decisions. In this sense, it is known that NGO’s in Turkey cannot influence the decisions of governors except a few areas.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Level of Education, Level of Democratization, Transparent Communication, Consensus, Volunteering

In the second half of the 19th century appeared Non-governmental organisations in Europe; there were especially Catholic and Protestant religious institutions, non-religious institutions and non-governmental organisations that worked for labour movement in Europe. Non-governmental organisations constitute one of the essential components of democracy. According to the sociologist Jolles, was the gap between the governing and the governed filled by Think Tanks and communication networks of NGO’s in the beginning of the 20th century. After World War II, as the idea of individualism developed from 1960’s on, non-religious organisations gained speed. The Netherlands is one of the countries with an advanced education, democracy and thus advanced non-governmental organisations. Today, the power that keeps the Dutch society together is over one hundred thousand NGO’s it has. The Netherlands ranks the second in Europe regarding the membership to NGO’s and volunteering. 80% of the society is members of non-governmental organisations or volunteers. These non-governmental organisations, as one of the most basic components of the democracy, influence both local and regional level governors and also national and international level governors and their decisions. In this sense, it is known that NGO’s in Turkey cannot influence the decisions of governors except a few areas.

Keywords: Level of Education, Level of Democratization, Transparent Communication, Consensus, Volunteering