Turkey's economy has been booming for a decade, earning praise not only from financial markets but also from development economists like Jeffrey Sachs.
Why, then, have peaceful demonstrations that began in Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square turned into a nationwide protest movement, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in opposition to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government?
Sachs, and others, have rightly acknowledged and praised the Erdogan government for its economic policies, which have led to a higher growth rate. But the question is whether a developing country like Turkey can sustain rapid economic growth if the same government is undermining basic liberties and impeding the advance of key institutions needed for long-term success.
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