PUBLIC PERSONNEL POLICIES: AN ASSESSMENT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

The public personnel regime in Turkey has been affected by changes brought about by new liberal policies since the 1980s. The previous public personnel policies, which were characterized by monist and centralist features, have given way to new, flexible employment policies under which a variety of modes of employment are available. The transformation that has taken place in the public personnel regime has inevitably shaped employment in local governments. Its reflections have especially been seen following the legal regulations regarding local governments introduced in 2004 and 2005. Considerations such as getting rid of bureacratic redtape, reducing costs and evading the control of the central government have formed the basis for flexible employment for local authorities. Practices such as delegating public services to municipal companies or to subcontractors have emerged as the latest applications of the new personnel regime in local governments, and the job security of public servants has been linked to their performance. This study aims to identify the current situation concerning the transformation in personnel recruitment at a time when local governments have quit their role as producers of services. The article reviews the changes that have been introduced in local government personnel recruitment in Turkey due to new liberal policies since the 1980s in the light of the developments from 2006 to 2016