Europeanization of local administrations in Turkey in the European Union harmonization process

In this thesis, the concept of Europeanization - which is often mentioned in the academic world in the beginning of 1990s- and its meaning in European Union, and how it created change and transformation in the candidate countries are handled. European Union which expresses sensitivity on topics such as democracy, human rights, freedom of press, independent judiciary, suggests that local administrations, which are unique, quite independent from the central authority, have high level of participation consciousness, should take place in the centre of implementation of these values. European Union which tries to affect local administrations in candidate countries via Europeanization, conducts effective policies through economic contributions and grant programmes. In the European Union, which implements the European Charter of Local Self-Government, local administrations are seen as the source of democracy. Keywords : Local Administrations, Europeanization, European Union, Turkey