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LAST VOLUME : Amme İdaresi Dergisi
NO : 1
RELEASE DATE : 2026-03-29
Throughout history, political upheavals have shaped both their immediate contexts and the political culture of later generations. Consequently, past political processes provide a crucial reference for assessing the sustainability of contemporary policies, the legitimacy of legal norms, and their societal impact. This historical legacy is also reflected in the experiences of states transitioning from authoritarian to democratic regimes, highlighting the role of transitional justice mechanisms aimed at rebuilding state-citizen relations on the basis of trust, law, and mutual esponsibility. Alongside well-documented modern examples of transitional justice, the general amnesty enacted in Athens following the fall of the Thirty Tyrants stands out as the earliest recorded instance of a deliberate transitional justice policy. This case constitutes the central focus of the study. Prior to this, historical data on the oligarchic coups of 411 and 404 BCE are examined to demonstrate how these political disruptions shaped the background of the 403 BCE general amnesty. After establishing the legal framework of the amnesty through ancient testimony, the period’s judicial practices are analyzed directly through Lysias’ forensic speeches, revealing how this legal arrangement operated in practice, how it was reflected in the political sphere, and how the experiences of the Thirty’s regime shaped Athenian social and political culture.
ARTICLES
Oligarchic Coups, Transitional Justice, and the Courts in Classical Athens
Throughout history, political upheavals have shaped both their immediate contexts and the political culture of later generations. Consequently, past political processes provide a crucial reference for assessing the sustainability of contemporary policies, the legitimacy of legal norms, and their societal impact. This historical legacy is also reflected in the experiences of states transitioning from authoritarian to democratic regimes, highlighting the role of transitional justice mechanisms aimed at rebuilding state-citizen relations on the basis of trust, law, and mutual responsibility. Alongside well-documented modern examples of transitional justice, the general amnesty enacted in Athens following the fall of the Thirty Tyrants stands out as the earliest recorded instance of a deliberate transitional justice policy. This case constitutes the central focus of the study. Prior to this, historical data on the oligarchic coups of 411 and 404 BCE are examined to demonstrate how these political disruptions shaped the background of the 403 BCE general amnesty. After establishing the legal framework of the amnesty through ancient testimony, the period’s judicial practices are analyzed directly through Lysias’ forensic speeches, revealing how this legal arrangement operated in practice, how it was reflected in the political sphere, and how the experiences of the Thirty’s regime shaped Athenian social and political culture.
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Authors: Sultan Deniz KÜÇÜKER⃰
Page Number : 1-24
Keywords : O l i g a r ş i , G e n e l A f , A t i n a M a h k e m e l e r i , K a m u Y ö n e t i m i
Open Government Data and Citizen Participation in Digital Bureaucracy Transformation: Objectives, Roles, Determinants and Limitations
Digital bureaucracy refers to the digitisation of bureaucratic processes using new-generation information and communication technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data; this process transforms organisational structures, service delivery and administration-citizen interaction. Open government data (OGD) enables public data to be made available to the public via digital platforms and allows citizens to participate in the production of public information, playing a role in the transformation of bureaucracy towards openness. Citizen participation in OGD platforms is considered an important element in achieving digital bureaucracy goals such as institutionalising transparency and accountability. The main objective of this research is to examine citizen participation in OGD platforms within the context of the transformation of digital bureaucracy, focusing on the citizen dimension of platform-user interactions. Studies on digital bureaucracy are newly emerging in the international literature. Although there are studies on OGD and citizen participation, studies examining data participation from a citizen-centred perspective are limited. Conversely, there is no research addressing OGD participation within the framework of digital bureaucracy transformation. The study analysed the interaction of OGD platforms with citizens, focusing on objectives, roles, determining factors, and limitations. Some of the key findings of the research are as follows: i) Data-driven participation enables citizens to assume data-related, innovative, and transformative roles in bureaucratic processes; ii) numerous socio technical factors that influence and limit participation in OGD platforms are interrelated; iii) behavioural and motivational factors are among the key determinants; iv) individual competencies, institutional data governance and issues related to data presentation are among the key constraints.
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Authors: Ezgi SEÇKİNER BİNGÖL
Page Number : 25-52
Keywords : D i j i t a l b ü r o k r a s i , D i j i t a l l e ş m e , A ç ı k V e r i , A ç ı k D e v l e t V e r i s i , V a t a n d a ş K a t ı l ı m ı
Decision-Making Constraints of Public Managers in Türkiye: Empirical Evidence and Policy Proposals
This study aims to identify the structural constraints limiting the decision making processes of managers in Turkish public administration and to empirically examine the relative importance of these barriers. The conceptual framework of the study is based on four main areas highlighted in the international literature: financial resource management, human capital development, political and environmental dynamics, and managerial and administrative capacity. A 25-item scale, developed through the relevant literature, expert opinions, and focus group studies, was administered electronically to 300 public managers using convenience sampling, achieving a response rate of 66 percent with 198 valid questionnaires. According to the statistical analysis of the data, managers perceive delays in budget revisions and uncertainties in resource allocation as primary financial constraints. Deficiencies in leadership capacity and a shortage of expert personnel stand out as critical human capital issues. The unpredictability of political interventions and legal inconsistencies constitute the main political and environmental barriers, while ambiguities in decision-making mechanisms and inter institutional coordination failures are considered the most significant managerial and administrative constraints. The research findings concretize the constraints that narrow decision-making practices in public administration, offering a unique contribution to the literature within the Turkish context and providing evidence-based strategic reform recommendations for policymakers.
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Authors: Hakan UZUN Reha BAYANSAR
Page Number : 53-82
Keywords : T ü r k K a m u Y ö n e t i m i , K a r a r A l m a , K a r a r A l m a K ı s ı t l a r ı , K a r a r A l m a M o d e l l e r i
Rebalancing the Central–Local Nexus: A Theoretical and Comparative Analysis of Intergovernmental Assignment of Functions and Revenue Sharing in Türkiye
This study examines the division of functions and revenues among levels of government in Türkiye within the framework of fiscal federalism and the benefit principle. Constitutional and legal arrangements are evaluated comparatively against OECD and World Bank models, with a focus on vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalances and the incentive effects of transfer design. The findings indicate a high dependence on central transfers, significant disparities in local fiscal capacity, and the influence of transfer structures on local fiscal behavior. The study proposes strengthening the alignment between functions and revenues, developing formula-based and incentive-compatible equalization mechanisms, and designing borrowing rules consistent with fiscal discipline. It concludes that a balanced intergovernmental fiscal architecture grounded in transparency and accountability is essential for sustainable fiscal stability in Türkiye.
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Authors: Selin ERTÜRK ATABEY
Page Number : 83-112
Keywords : M a l i f e d e r a l i z m , G ö r e v B ö l ü ş ü m ü , G e l i r B ö l ü ş ü m ü , M a l i E ş i t l e m e , T ü r k i y e
A Reform Initiative in the Turkish Legal System: "The Commission for Screening Anti-Democratic Laws" and Its Activities
This study examines the efforts of the Democrat Party (DP) to purge the Turkish legal system of anti-democratic laws following 1950 and focuses on the activities of the Anti-Democratic Laws Review Commission, established on June 4, 1951. The aim of the study is to analyze the approaches of politicians, jurists, and bureaucrats toward law, democracy, human rights, and constitutionalism within the legal framework of the period, and to assess the tangible outcomes of the reform initiatives undertaken. Designed within a qualitative research methodology, the study employs a historical-descriptive research design. The data set was compiled from primary sources, including the Presidential State Archives, the minutes of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Official Gazette, supplemented by contemporary periodicals and relevant scholarly works. While numerous studies have addressed democracy in this period, research focusing specifically on the Anti-Democratic Laws Review Commission and its activities remains limited. The Commission was established following the DP’s rise to power and began its work on June 4, 1951. After establishing the principles and procedures guiding its activities, the Commission submitted its comprehensive report to the government on February 2, 1952. The study also examines the legal measures taken by the government in response to the Commission’s report, thereby evaluating the extent to which concrete steps were implemented. Findings indicate that the DP’s pre-election promise to eliminate “anti-democratic laws,” initially used as a political strategy against the Republican People’s Party, was institutionalized during its tenure. However, the government exhibited a cautious approach and did not implement the comprehensive and decisive legal reforms proposed in the report.
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Authors: Murat YILDIZ
Page Number : 113-148
Keywords : H u k u k R e f o r m u , D e m o k r a t P a r t i , T ü r k H u k u k S i s t e m i , A n t i d e m o k r a t i k K a n u n l a r