MUNICIPAL PARTNERSHIPS: the role of LGAs in Turkey

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MUNICIPAL PARTNERSHIPS the role of LGAs in Turkey
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1. Municipal twinings

• The meeting between two municipalities to act
  together within a European perspective,
  confronting problems and developing increasingly
  closer and friendly ties between one another,
  Council of European Municipalities and Regions,
  2006.

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Situation in Turkey

• 571 registered twinings (May 2006)
• Almost 50 of twinnings are concentrated in the
  following 5 provinces (Izmir, Istanbul, Bursa,
  Ankara, Antalya)
• Twinings are the feature of large municipalities
  
• Regional distribution of twinnings reveals sharp
  regional unbalances (table 1)

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Regional distribution of twinnings
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Benefits of municipal twinnings

• Can help to improve performance of the local
  administration and public service delivery
• Can be a factor of democratization of local
  government system
• Can contribute to local development
• Can be a source of financial and in-kind
  assistance
• .

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Constraints to municipal twinnings

• Limited awareness of the benefits
• Lack of necessary capacities and institutional
  structures
• Limited institutional support provided to the
  municipalities
• Bureaucratic procedures to register partnerships.

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2. Inter-municipal cooperation

• It is a joint implementation by two or more
  municipalities of
• 1) regular municipal tasks with the aim to
  improve the quality and/or reduce the cost of
  public service delivery to citizens
• 2) project and programmes with the aim to improve
  socio-economic development situation of the
  partner municipalities.

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Inter-municipal cooperation in Turkey

• Long standing practice of cooperation between
  settlements in Turkey (900 Village Service
  Unions, 52 Municipal Service Unions)
• Focus on classical public service delivery (water
  management, environment)
• Very small proportion of Municipal Service
  Unions promotes economic and social development.

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Constraints to inter-municipal cooperation

• Limited motivation to cooperate
• Lack of knowledge in the field of socio-economic
  development (new area of municipal
  responsibility)
• Lack of incentives and institutional support
• Lack of capacities (small municipalities)
• Bureaucratic procedures

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The challenge

• How to encourage and support more and better
  cooperation among municipalities, building on the
  existing Turkish experience and also on the
  international experience, where appropriate
• How to encourage a diversification of partnerships

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Assignment 3 groups (35 min.)

• What can be the role of LGAs in helping to
  resolve the challenge and encourage establishment
  of partnerships?
• Develop an action plan on how your Association
  will support partnerships in Turkey.
• Present in the plenary.