Empowerment in Turkish public administration in terms of the expenditure authority given to the administrators of the Ministry of National Education

This research aims to examine examine the importance of the concept of personnel empowerment in Turkish public administration in the context of the spending authority task given to school administrators affiliated with the Ministry of National Education.The spending authority granted to school principals under Public Financial Management and Control Law No. The spending authority granted to school principals within the scope of Public Financial Management and Control Law No.5018 has been considered as an important step towards the localization of decision-making processes of school principals. In this context, the effects of the spending authority on institutional functioning, organisational trust and personnel empowerment dimensions (meaning, competence, autonomy and influence) have been investigated. The research was designed according to the phenomenology (phenomenology) pattern of qualitative research methods; a semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. Forty school administrators working in the central districts of Izmir and representing different school types were selected using maximum diversity sampling, and the data obtained were analysed using content analysis techniques. The findings revealed that spending authority facilitates speed and efficiency in institutional operations, simplifies decision-making processes, enhances administrators' strategic and managerial skills, and strengthens staff perceptions of meaning, competence, and autonomy in their work. Additionally, it was observed that managers with spending authority increase organisational trust vi by adopting more transparent and participatory practices. However, some participants stated that this authority is open to abuse, creates uncertainty, and carries risks due to the concentration of financial responsibility in a single person. Based on the findings, it was concluded that increasing decision-making authority at the local level in public institutions could have positive results in terms of managerial effectiveness, staff motivation, and organisational commitment. In this regard, it is recommended that spending authority practices be supported by a more transparent, accountable, and people-oriented management approach.