The effects of the changes in the welfare state idea on the eployment policies applied in Turkey

After the Second World War, government interventionism in the economy gained importance through Keynesian policies, and it became widely accepted that the economy could not be left uncontrolled. In the years that followed, due to the government's increasing responsibility for the economy, and the inability of countries to deal with government deficits, the rising concept of the welfare state was open to criticisms of neoliberals. As a result of these criticisms, the welfare state has been through different structural changes in different countries. In parallel to developments in the rest of the world, the change in the welfare state concept has also been reflected in Turkey. In the 21st century, the creation of competitive economies and employment from the viewpoint of countries being able to reach a sustainable rate of development, must now be dealt with according to modern requirements. In consequence, the change in the welfare state concept is of great importance to the labour market and in employment policy. In Turkey as well as the rest of the world, active employment policies have replaced passive employment policies in dealing with unemployment, which has been a problem for many years. In Turkey important steps have been taken in the area of employment, especially during the process of change to meet European Union standards. The change in the concept of the welfare state is a factor in the reform of employment policies. The analysis of this effect is important for the understanding of why and how employment policies have changed. Keywords: 1. Welfare State 2. Employment 3. Turkey