Past And Current States of Social Policy in Turkey: Is it Philanthropy Institutionalized? Is it Progress?

Republic of Turkey was founded on the heritage of the Ottomans in economic, social and cultural areas, and a soft, not sharp, transition, occurred in the these areas. Therefore, in order to understand the current state of social policy practices in Turkey, it is necessary to know about the past and to examine the subject within the framework of the change and transformation in the Ottoman structure. The purpose of this study is to reveal the historical development of social policy in Turkey and to examine the current form of the practices that have reflections into the present time. In conclusion it has emphasized that social policy practices in Turkey include certain differences, yet up until now, these practices have developed in accordance with the economic and social structure and protected the notion of voluntariness and benevolence and that the understanding of “social state” has developed gradually in time