Poverty, Social Policy and Modernity in Turkey

Abstract

The major household surveys carried out in Turkey in the last five years indicate that the incidence of absolute poverty varies between three to 5 per cent of the population, while nearly one-third of the families in the survey are identified as economically vulnerable (Bugra and Sinmardemir, 2004). Turkey’s standing in the Human Development Index (HDI) lags considerably behind the country’s international economic ranking; in other words Turkey is conspicuously poor in terms of social indicators and social development (Akder, 2004). Marked social class, gender and regional inequalities in Turkish society continue to exist, and despite impressive improvements in macro-economic indicators in the last few years, there has been no corresponding move towards creating a more egalitarian social order (World Bank, 2000; Yalman, 2004). Global economic conditions tend to increase job and income instability, making poverty almost a permanent state for increasing numbers of people and weakening traditional mechanisms of mutual help and solidarity (Sönmez, 2002). Finally, the social security regime in Turkey is highly inefficient and inadequate, and political efforts towards creating a more just and egalitarian society remain weak.