The role of social assistance in reducing poverty: An evaluation for Turkey

Poverty is an issue that needs to be fought against and solved all over the world, and that needs to be meticulously addressed in terms of solutions that will not disrupt income justice, will not alienate citizens from production, and will ensure that aid is distributed fairly. Of course, while fighting this battle, the concept of poverty must first be defined and policies must be produced based on the defined concepts. Poverty is a multidimensional concept rather than a simple concept with a single definition. It can vary according to many factors such as the geographical, social and cultural situation of the country to be defined, the level of development, and the educational structure; and it can also vary according to the conditions of the period in which it is lived. For this reason, in order to combat poverty, the concept must first be defined in the place where it will be combated. There are many policies in the literature and in practice in the fight against poverty. However, the conditions of the place where poverty occurs are the determining factor in which of these policies will contribute the most to the fight. Indeed, if the right method cannot be determined in the fight against poverty, poverty deepens even more and becomes more inextricable rather than being solved. Although there are mutual aids or support for employment, starting a business, and continuing a business in the fight against poverty, there are also many non-reciprocal aids in kind and in cash. Another problem arises here. The most important of these is that the person receiving non-reciprocal aid becomes distant from the workforce and production, and gets used to living off social aid, even if it is meager, by greedy for less. In case such results occur, there is a need for a measured, controlled and systematic application in social aid. In addition to planning social aids that are both sustainable and will eliminate the problem in the long term rather than producing short-term solutions, policies to combat poverty should be both far from populism and permanent. Keywords: Poverty, social aid, social policy, public administration, fighting poverty.