Public service provision for Syrian refugees in Turkey: challenges and prospects

Abstract

Refugee crises are among the most heartrending and vexatious humanitarian issues since the beginning of civilization. These crises are particularly evident in the case of Syria, where, since 2011, civil war and terrorism have led millions of people to seek refugee status in neighbouring countries, including Turkey. Since 2011, Turkey has pursued an open-door policy accompanied by a national temporary protection regime to protect more than four million Syrians fleeing the civil war. As a corollary, government institutions (the public service) in Turkey have the responsibility of providing essential services, including education and health. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine and analyse the opportunities and challenges Turkey is currently facing in accommodating the Syrian refugees from the perspectives of Syrian migrants living in Turkey. This research employed the qualitative research approaches, which adopted in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and documentary reviews as the data collection instruments. The findings revealed that the Government of Turkey is being overstretched by the refugee crisis, and this has affected the quality of public service provisions. Consequently, this study is a rare attempt to examine the impact of the Syrian Refugee crisis on the public service provision of Turkey.