Social policies for disadvantaged groups within the scope of social municipality - Arnavutköy Municipality example

Although social organization and mutual aid are as old as human history, social assistance has been planned and implemented by the state since the Industrial Revolution. Following the Industrial Revolution, industrialization increased, and a significant migration from rural areas to large cities was observed. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, the population growth in urban areas brought about several social, environmental, cultural, and economic problems. To address these issues, social policy practices began to be developed. The implementation of these social policies at the local level forms an essential aspect of this process. In this context, local governments play a critical role in meeting the needs of the community and improving the quality of life. The responsibilities undertaken by local governments mark the beginning of a process that can be described as the strengthening of the social municipalism factor both globally and across Turkey. Although there is a general consensus on the understanding of social municipalism under current historical conditions, it is crucial to investigate the quality of its implementations. This study aims to examine and evaluate the policies implemented by the Arnavutköy Municipality towards disadvantaged groups within the framework of social municipalism. The research process began with an analysis of the strategic planning reports of the municipality from 2015 to 2024 and the activity reports from 2015 to 2022. Following this analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants, who are unit managers from the Social Support Directorate of the municipality. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that the social municipalism strategies of Arnavutköy Municipality are not limited to financial support. They also include measures to enhance the community's productivity capacity in areas such as education and vocational development, socio-cultural activities, and health services. However, it was also found that there are deficiencies in transportation services, participation mechanisms, and the establishment of local democracy.