Abstract:

In the world and in Türkiye, the importance of non- governmental organizations is rising. The involvement of diverse players in the process, particularly in multifaceted public policy areas like migration, not only improves the democratic quality of governance but also makes it possible for policies to be implemented effectively and efficiently. Within the framework of the legacy inherited from the Ottoman Empire in Turkish public administration, the bureaucracy is the dominant actor of determination and implementation of public policies. For this reason, although non-governmental organizations have been effective in Turkish political life from time to time, they have not been an effective actor in the public policy agenda. The Gölcük Earthquake in 1999 was one of the pioneering events in bringing non-governmental organizations to the agenda in Türkiye. The role played by non-governmental organizations in the post-earthquake process was effective in bringing them to the forefront. Subsequently, while Türkiye's accession process to the European Union was an important turning point in the development of civil society organizations, the Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, which was enacted as a result of the intense migration mobility towards Türkiye in 2011, included non-governmental organizations in migration policy process and migration administration. In this study, a case study was conducted to understand whether the relevant non-governmental organizations are effective in migration policies. In this context, semi-structured interviews were conducted with non-governmental organizations centered in Ankara and operating in various provinces of Türkiye. It was concluded that the influence of non-governmental organizations in migration administration especially in policy making is very limited, but they are an effective actor alongside public institutions in field.

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