Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
3POLS 205Local Governments3+0+03507.09.2022
Course Details
Language of Instruction English
Level of Course Unit Bachelor's Degree
Department / Program Political Science and Public Administration (English)
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Compulsory
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course The purpose of this course is twofold. The first part of the course is designed to understand the role, structure and working practices of local governments with a particular focus on local governments in Turkey. The second part of the course focuses on the growing significance of local governments in contemporary politics and investigates the pathways that improve local capacities to deliver equitable and effective services in urban settings.
Course Content Local government institutions: i) Learn about the function, roles and responsibilities of local government in unitary systems of government, ii) Examine the legal framework for the organization, functioning and competences of local governments in Turkey, particularly after the introduction of local administration reforms.
• Local politics: i) Investigate elections and political representation in local
governments, ii) Investigate the relationship between central government and local governments in Turkey within the framework of decentralization debate.
• Local government policies: i) Investigate the scope of local government policies and incentives for promoting urban development with a particular purpose on under-resourced municipalities, ii) Plan and conduct field work research on local government practices that promote local economic development in Turkey.
Part 2
• From local governments to local governance: i) Discuss the growing significance of local government in dealing with challenges facing urban settings in developing countries. ii) Reflect on the conceptual shift from local governments to localgovernance.
• New approaches to local governance: i) Rethink the relationship between local governments and citizens through the lenses of ‘participatory local governance’. ii)Reflect on the alternative pathways to improve local governments based on the concept of ‘enhanced local governance’ and ‘municipal innovation’.
International aspect of local governance: Examine the role of UN, UNDP and EU in strengthening local government capacities in Turkey.
Course Methods and Techniques
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator None
Name of Lecturers Asist Prof.Dr. Julinda Hoxha
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources Heywood, A. (2013) Politics. Fourth Edition, Basingstoke, [England] : Palgrave Macmillan.
Course Notes Heywood, A. (2013) Politics. Fourth Edition, Basingstoke, [England] : Palgrave Macmillan. (pp. 385-389)

Course Category
Social Sciences %100

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Mid-terms 1 % 30
Attendance 1 % 10
Project 1 % 20
Final examination 1 % 40
Total
4
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Course Duration 14 3 42
Hours for off-the-c.r.stud 14 3 42
Assignments 14 1 14
Mid-terms 1 2 2
Project 1 40 40
Final examination 1 2 2
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 4,73333333333333 142

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
NoLearning Outcomes
1 Understand how local governments in Turkey function and how they have evolved over time;
2 demonstrate an understanding of the local politics in Turkey through an investigation of local elections and voting patterns as well as changing role of municipalities vis-à-vis the central government;
3 examine how local governments influence the development of public policies in collaboration with other actors at the local level;
4 Identify new approaches to local governance through concepts such as ‘participatory local governance’ and ‘enhanced local governance’
5 Gain practical knowledge on local government practices through field work research.

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Local Governments In Unitary Systems Heywood, A. (2013) Politics. Fourth Edition, Basingstoke, [England] : Palgrave Macmillan. (pp. 385-389)
2 Local Government Institutions I – The Legal Framework for Local Government Function and Services in Turkey Metropolitan Municipality Law No. 5216 (2004) Available at https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2004/07/20040723.htm Municipality Law No. 5393 (2005) Available at https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.5393.pdf Law No. 6360 On Metropolitan Municipality System (2012) Available at https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2012/12/20121206-1.htm
3 Local Government Institutions II – Local Governments and New Public Management Reforms Tan, E. (2020). Quo vadis? The local government in Turkey after public management reforms. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 86(1), 115-133. Çetin, Z. Ö. (2015). The reflections of new public management on local government laws in Turkey. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 36-36.
4 Local Politics I: Local Elections and Political Representation Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (2019) Local elections in Turkey and Mayoral re-run in Istanbul, Available at https://rm.coe.int/local-elections-in-turkey-and-mayoral-re-run-in-istanbul-committee-on-/1680981fcf Betts, A., MemiŞoĞlu, F., & Ali, A. (2021). What difference do mayors make? The role of municipal authorities in Turkey and Lebanon’s response to Syrian refugees. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(1), 491-519 Joppien, C. (2017). Municipal Politics in Turkey: Local Government and Party Organization. Routledge
5 Local Politics II: Decentralization Debate and Democratic Subsidiary Principle in Local Governments Savaşkan, O. (2021). Political dynamics of local government reform in a development context: The case of Turkey. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 39(1), 204- 225. Akilli, H., & Akilli, H. S. (2014). Decentralization and recentralization of local governments in Turkey. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 140, 682-686.
6 Local Policies I: Local Government Policies and Incentives for Promoting Urban Development Krebs, T. B., & Fleischmann, A. (2020). “Local Government Policy-Making and Services.” In Understanding urban politics: Institutions, representation, and policies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. (pp. 204-225)
7 Local Policies II: The Potential and Limitations of Policy Making in Under-Resourced Municipalities Kayasü, S., & Yetişkul, E. (2016). Evolving legal and institutional frameworks of neoliberal urban policies in Turkey. METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, 31(2). OECD The role of local governments in economic development policy Available at: (oecd-ilibrary.org) (Plan and conduct field work research on the case of SMEs operating in OSTIM Organized Industrial Zone located in Ankara, Turkey)
8 Midterm
9 Reflecting on the Conceptual Shift: From Local Government to Local Governance Shah, A. & Shah, S. The New Vision of Local Governance and the Evolving Roles of Local Governments, in Shah, A. (Ed.). Local governance in developing countries. World Bank Publications
10 Enhanced Local Governance: Municipal Innovation in Turkey Ozcurumez, S. & Hoxha, J. (forthcoming in New Perspectives on Turkey) “Expanding the Boundaries of the Local: Entrepreneurial Municipalism and Migration Governance in Turkey”
11 Participatory Local Governance: Citizen Representation and City Councils Elif, G. (2020). A Critical Evaluation Of The City Councils In Turkey: Institutional, External Environmental And Legislative Aspects. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 16(29), 2093-2107. Gökçe-Kızılkaya, S., & Onursal-Beşgül, Ö. (2017). Youth participation in local politics: City councils and youth assemblies in Turkey. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 17(1), 97-112. Tosun, K. E., & Keskin, E. B. (2015). City councils as a means of local participation in Turkey during the EU membership process: the investigation of the awareness of the Bursa city council. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 13(3), 363-375. Demiral, B. (2014). Urban civil structures effect in the development of governance concept in developing countries: the case of city councils in Turkey. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 143, 1006-1010
12 International Aspect of Local Governance I: Europeanization and the local level Eliçin, Y. (2011). The Europeanization of Turkey: Reform in local governments. Uluslararası İktisadi ve İdari İncelemeler Dergisi, (7).
13 International Aspect of Local Governance II: International Organizations and Local Government Support UNDP - Local Administration Reform Available at: https://www.undp.org/turkiye/projects/local-administration-reform-project-phase-iii UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) Available at: https://unhabitat.org/urban-profiling-in-humanitarian-and-development-contexts-a-guide-for-turkish-municipalities
14 Presentation: Preliminary data and results of the field work “The role of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality in developing training skills for SMEs operating in OSTIM Organized Industrial Zone located in Ankara, Turkey”

 
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10
All 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 3 1 2
C1 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 3 1 2
C2 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 3 1 2
C3 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 3 1 2
C4 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 3 1 2
C5 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 3 1 2

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant