Abstract:

The problem of poverty that has been seen in every period of history has not been more important today. Countries across the world have developed their own methods of fighting poverty according to their administrative, social, cultural structures and economic conditions. In this framework, many countries, as well as central governments, have tried to make this problem more active. One of these countries is Turkey. As a result of the legal reforms carried out since the 2000s, the central administration, in addition to local governments, has given the municipalities significant powers and roles in the fight against poverty. In 2004 and 2005, the municipalities were charged with various responsibilities regarding the social policies and services in the local area to the poor, including the Metropolitan Municipality Act No. 5216 and the Municipality Act No. 5393. With these legislative reforms, the councils have become one of the main units of the fight against poverty in the areas where they are located. With the law No. 6360 adopted in 2012, it was aimed at strengthening both the municipality’s administrative structures and the spread of municipal services in local areas. Thus, in the fight against poverty, a further important step has been made in the way of the municipalities as a strong stakeholders and actors as a local administration unit alongside the central administration. Therefore, in this study, the tasks and responsibilities of the municipalities in the fight against the poverty problem in Turkey have been addressed through the example of the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality (MBB) and a assessment of the socio-economic work carried out in the local area to eliminate or reduce this problem.

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