Factors Affecting Child-Friendly Policy Making Process in Metropolitan Municipalities: Two Case Studies in Turkey

Date

2023-8

Author

Güner, Hayriye Görkem

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Although the role of municipalities in dealing with the urbanization problems, the violation of child rights, and developing child-friendly cities has gained importance, there are problems with developing child-friendly policies and budget at the municipal level in Turkey. In light of this, the objective of the study is to analyze the policy making process related to children at the metropolitan municipal level and to explain the elements that enable or hinder this process, through the interviews with the key policy actors and the document analyses for the two metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, Gaziantep and Trabzon. Findings reveal that one of the main issues that negatively affects metropolitan municipalities’ positions in developing and implementing child-friendly policies is the lack of a child rights national strategy / action plan and vision at the national level, and a clear identification of the services that will be provided specifically for children. As a result, metropolitan municipalities develop locally-tailored policies, programs, and strategies for children, which lack a sub-national strategic outlook with an action plan that clearly defines goals and targets, budget allocation, as well as accountabilities. The study acknowledges the challenges that municipalities face, such as a lack of clear policy documents and inadequate resources for child-focused service implementation. It also highlights the significance of mayors in advocating child rights, the influence of various actors like NGOs and international organizations, the importance of child participation, and the need for structured evaluation mechanisms.

Subject Keywords

Metropolitan municipalities, child rights, child-friendly cities, policy making, child-focused budget

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/104906

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis