The New Public Administration Concept in Turkey and It’s Reflections on Local Administrations

Abstract

The new public administration concept has affected many areas in the public sphere. This paper will focus on its effects on the local administration in Turkey. Throughout the 20th century the balance between central and local administration in Turkey has been more in favour of centralisation. This has resulted in the central administration getting involved in more detailed matters with considerable red-tape and losing sight of its role of policy making and strategic leadership. So we often find many public bodies in different sizes with overlapping duties to provide public services, resulting in divided authority, conflicts and confusion. In the 21st century the public administration has a new meaning. The administration has to be more transparent, participatory and efficient and must respect human rights. The change in the public administration concept has forced a radical restructuring of the local administration in Turkey. Many new laws have passed bringing new problems and debates. Our paper will try to give a brief outline of these new statutes on local administration and consider its effects on the integrity of administration and the balance between central and local administration in Turkey.