Abstract
Public personnel system of Turkey creates various problems, which are related with the ill-planned nature of the system, which is continuously amended and which swings between the career-based and position-based systems. Uncertainty about using career-based or position-based systems is caused by not only the variety of public personnel, but also administrative, political, and social factors. This study aims to find if Turkish personnel management system has evolved towards the career-based or the position-based system. For this aim, the author firstly provides general information on public personnel systems and the history of Turkish public personnel system. Next, the author determines whether the Turkish public personnel system is evolving towards the career-based or position-based system by analyzing the regulations on Turkish public personnel system. The author also analyzes the underlying administrative, political, and social factors behind this evolution. Finally, this study is evaluated perceptions about the type of public personnel system in Turkey.
TopPublic Personnel Systems
Public personnel systems may change depending on the social structures. Public personnel systems in liberal-democratic societies should have a structure that finds competent civil servants with necessary technical knowledge and skills to perform practices for administrative structure. Civil servants in this structure should act independent of, autonomous from and neutral to the conflicting groups with different interests, who are in either government or opposition. Actually, this idea is based on the distinction between politics and administration. However, socialist structures that neglect social stratification consider public personnel administrating technical affairs as a part of the assembly and the society. Due to this reason, public personnel system has no problem with the issue of neutrality in socialist society structure. Both liberal and socialist societies give importance to the principle of merit to appoint the civil servants from eligible candidates (Ayman-Güler, 2013, pp. 46-47). In this sense, public personnel systems should be based on the principles of merit, classification and career. The principle of merit is commonly adapted in order to maintain effectiveness in public service and prevent favoritism (Adal, 1968, pp. 104-vd). Kalkandelen (1972) drew attention to the types of classifications, which form the basis of personnel systems in these social structures, and stated that these should be in a close and compulsory relationship in practice (p. 58). On the other hand, Kayar (2019) dealt with the principle of career and drew attention to the difference between the two structures (pp. 95-99).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Public Personnel System: It is a system that includes all basic policies, rules, techniques, and practices on civil servants, who perform the duties of the state.
Career-Based System: The system is based on rank-in-person classification. Public service in this system is a life-long professional career.
Position Hybrids System: It is a position-based system with some elements from a career system.
Position-Based System: Position-based system systematically groups similar positions under common job titles. In other words, the system is founded on a rank-in-job classification, which is based on the variables of duty, authority and responsibility related with public service.
Career Hybrids System: It is a career system with some elements from the position-based system.
Public Personnel: They are civil servants employed in various positions in the state service.
Real Hybrids System: It is a system where elements from both systems are truly mixed in equal proportions.