Public Management Reform in Turkey: The Impact of Europeanization and Beyond (Public Administration, Governance and Globalization, 20)

This book discusses the Europeanization of Turkish public administration since the early 2000s, offering an analysis of the transformation and basic features and problems of Turkish public administration in relation to the EU accession process. The book consists of six chapters and a conclusion. The first chapter sets the stage by evaluating the public administration reforms in Turkey from the perspective of Europeanization and the European Administrative Space (EAS). The second chapter discusses the administrative procedures based on the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, and explains the EU’s relationship with accountable government and democracy. The third and fourth chapters examine the steps taken to improve civic participation in decision-making processes, and assess local governance reforms in Turkey with reference to Europeanization processes and the “policy windows” approach developed by Kingdon. The next chapter addresses regionalization in Europe and its parallels in Turkey, especially in the context of the foundation of regional development agencies. Lastly, the book presents the reactions to the fragmentation of government envisaged by New Public Management (NPM) reforms and describes practices beyond fashioning an integrated administration. It also explores the transformation of the executive organ in terms of its change in status, in relation to other centers of political power. The conclusion provides an overview of the apparent oscillation of Turkish public administration in the 21st century, in terms of Europeanization processes. This book is useful for academics studying public administration, public management reforms, Turkish politics, and the European Union, as well as government and diplomatic professionals in Turkey and the EU, especially those dealing with enlargement issues. Preface 7 Introduction 8 Contents 11 1 Europeanization Processes 14 1.1 Europeanization as a Concept 14 1.2 Common Values and Principles 18 1.2.1 Principle of Obligatory Results 20 1.2.2 Principle of Blank Concepts 20 1.2.3 Right to Good Governance 21 1.2.4 Openness and Transparency Principle 21 1.2.5 Participation Principle 24 1.2.6 Accountability Principle 26 1.2.7 Effectiveness Principle 28 1.2.8 Implementation of the Acquis and Public Administration 29 1.2.9 Problems of Common Principles 30 1.3 Common Processes and Practices 33 1.3.1 Convergence and Divergence of Procedures 34 1.3.2 Empowerment 36 1.3.3 Resolutions of European Court of Justice 36 1.3.4 PHARE Program 38 1.3.5 Twinning and EUPAN 39 1.3.6 Action Plan for Simplifying and Improving Regulatory Environment 40 1.3.7 Regulatory Impact Assessment 42 1.3.8 Common Assessment Framework 43 1.3.9 Annual Activity Reports 45 1.3.10 Strategic Planning and Programming (SPP) and Annual Policy Strategy (APS) 45 1.4 Common Documents 46 1.4.1 Amsterdam Treaty 46 1.4.2 SIGMA Reports 47 1.4.3 Rules of Procedure of the Commission 53 1.4.4 White Papers 53 1.4.5 Reports of the Committee of Independent Experts 58 1.4.6 European Code of Good Administrative Behavior 59 1.4.7 Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe 60 1.4.8 Rejection of Constitutional Treaty 62 1.4.9 Lisbon Treaty 63 1.5 Common Institutions 64 1.5.1 European Economic and Social Committee 64 1.5.2 Committee of the Regions 65 1.5.3 Ombudsman 66 1.5.4 Internal Audit Service 67 1.5.5 European Administrative School 68 1.5.6 European Personnel Selection Office 69 1.6 European Administrative Space and Turkey 70 1.6.1 Issues of Focus in Progress Reports 72 1.6.2 General Evaluation on Turkey 73 References 74 2 Administrative Procedures 78 2.1 The Concept of Administrative Procedures 79 2.1.1 The Relation Between Democracy and Administrative Procedures 80 2.1.2 Examples of Administrative Procedure 82 2.1.3 The European Code of Good Administrative Behavior 84 2.2 Administrative Procedure in Turkey 85 2.2.1 What Does the General Administrative Law Draft Offer? 86 2.2.2 General Evaluation of the Draft Law 91 References 93 3 Participatory Government 95 3.1 Deliberative Policy Making 96 3.1.1 Democratization of Public Policy Process 98 3.1.2 The Relation Between Public Policies and Citizens 99 3.1.3 Forms of Democratic Public Policy 100 3.2 Local Level and Public Policy 103 3.2.1 Governance and Participation 104 3.2.2 Local Public Management and Public Policies 105 3.2.3 The Democratization of the Relationship Between the State and Society: The Re-definition of Citizenship 106 3.2.4 Citizen Participation in the Formulation and Management of Public Policies 107 3.3 Participatory Democracy in Turkey 111 3.3.1 Legal Foundations 112 3.4 Conclusion 120 References 123 4 Local Governance Reforms 128 4.1 The Concept of “Policy Windows” 129 4.2 Legal Aspects of Decentralization: 2004–2005 Legislations 131 4.3 Political Aspects of Decentralization 134 4.3.1 Civil–Military Relations 134 4.3.2 Kurdish Problem 135 4.3.3 AKP’s Attempts to Change the Domestic Balance of Power 136 4.4 The Turn of the Tide: 2008 and 2012 Legislations 136 4.4.1 Economies of Scale and Local Governments 137 4.4.2 The Metropolitan Municipality Law of 2008 139 4.4.3 The Law of 2012: The Search for “Optimal Scale” 139 4.4.4 Structural Changes Introduced by the New Model 141 4.5 Conclusion 143 References 144 5 Regionalization Reforms 148 5.1 Regionalization Processes in the EU 149 5.2 Turkey’s Harmonization with European Regional Policy 154 5.2.1 “NUTS” and Structural Funds 157 5.2.2 Regional Development Agencies 158 5.3 Conclusion 161 References 162 6 Re-centralization in Government 164 6.1 NPM Reforms in European Countries 166 6.2 Post-NPM Tendencies 167 6.3 NPM, Post-NPM and Reforms 170 6.4 Post-NPM and Re-centralization in Turkey 171 6.4.1 General Institutional Review of the Government 172 6.4.2 Expansion of the Prime Minister’s Office After 2003 172 6.4.3 Transformation of Independent Regulatory Agencies 173 6.4.4 Reform in the Cabinet 174 6.4.5 Expansion of the President’s Office 175 6.4.6 Adoption of the Presidential Government System 176 6.5 Conclusion 179 References 180 Conclusion 184 References 188