Decentralization and Local Governance in Turkey: A Bottom-Up Study of State-Municipality Relations

Between 2004 and 2014, the local government reforms carried out by the AKP (Justice and Development Party) led to profound changes, altering municipal, departmental, and metropolitan governance. However, it is difficult to assert that territorial management in Turkey operates in a truly autonomous and decentralized manner. Although decentralization was initially envisioned as an administrative, technical, and financial process, its implementation is largely influenced by political considerations and the balance of power between government elites and opposition actors, especially regarding the control of municipalities and local public services. To understand this local complexity, the article comparatively studies two subnational cases: a metropolitan city (Aydin) and a non-metropolitan city (Yalova). The analysis employs a localized approach to power coupled with a Weberian theory to explore the nature of these relationships. Various sources, such as the analysis of parliamentary records, official documents, and interviews with local actors, were used to test the study’s hypotheses. In summary, the AKP’s decentralization model, while transferring certain competencies to local authorities, does not grant them true autonomy due to the lack of sufficient fiscal autonomy transfer. Consequently, local authorities have limited capacity to act independently.