9. Democratization of Governance in Turkey: An Assessment of the Administrative Reforms in the 2000s

The government of Turkey undertook comprehensive public administration reforms in the first decade of the twenty-first century. These reforms were a new phase in the long history of the public administration reforms in this country. The reforms of the early 2000s were more comprehensive than their predecessors. In this latest phase, the government undertook both “managerial reforms” (improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery and adopting businesslike management techniques) and “governance reforms” (improving transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in public service delivery and citizen engagement in them) (Sözen 2012, p. 168). In this chapter we discuss the historical background and contents of these reforms and assess their effectiveness, particularly in two areas: citizen engagement in governance and reducing corruption.