Scale and democracy in Turkish local governments: The case of the amalgamation initiative in Konya province
Scale and democracy in Turkish local governments: The case of the amalgamation initiative in Konya province

Summary/Abstract: Efficiency and democracy are two crucial concepts during the provision of local goods and services in many developed and developing local government systems. Policy makers, quite often, appear to make delicate choices between these two rival elements. Turkey is no exception as there is always scarcity of financial sources and huge service expectations in the public, but at the same time there are growing demands for democracy. Turkey initiated a number of local reforms to reach an acceptable level of democracy and efficiency. Seeking for an optimum level has been continuing for the last 15 years. The amalgamation initiative and enlarging municipal scales have been an effective approach in these reform attempts. There is a quite contentious issue in delivering local goods and services to the public and providing democratic instances at the same time. Turkish provision of reforms has been echoed by many countries due to the tensions among economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The study finds that prioritizing efficiency does not necessarily lead to diminishing democracy. The empirical evidence shows that these kinds of initiatives would be regarded as a journey for better delivery of services while being aware of democratic implications at local levels.

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