Public administration reforms in the process of adaptation to the European union: Example of Turkey and Poland

Significant reforms have been made in the candidate countries as well as in the European Union (EU) countries in the context of Europeanization in public administration. In this study, Poland's, an EU member and an old Eastern Bloc country, and Turkey's, an EU candidate, public administration reforms they have done in the process of EU harmonization being examined. In the comparative analysis of the secondary sources, the reform areas of both countries are considered, including public personnel management, e-government, public financial management, ethical management, local governments, regional development and ombudsman categories. In addition to this, both countries have public administration reform policies outlined in the foreground and assess the success of reform studies in the light of the reports issued by the EU, the data of the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), and the indices published by international organizations. At the end of the study, the following findings were obtained: There are similarities in the principles underlying reform areas and reforms carried out in both countries. In particular, there is a similarity in public financial management reforms aimed at facilitating the supervision of financial assistance provided by the EU. In Turkey, reforms carried out in the field of regional policy while staying in the formal and institutional levels; In Poland, performance in the context of regional development has remained below the EU average. Finally; the public administration comprehension dominating the EU has affected both the Turkish and Polish public administration system. In Turkey and Poland which have a long history and state tradition, because of public administration reforms, the public administration structure of both countries is similar. Keywords: European Union, Turkey, Poland, the Public Administration Reform