THE TURKISH WELFARE REGIME UNDER PRESSURE: RESILIENCE OR CHANGE?

This article studies the Turkish welfare regime, with a particular emphasis on wage insurance as a formal mechanism of accessing the social protection system. We argue that the structure and transformation of the labour market is increasingly incompatible with the existing welfare system framework, which is mainly centred on formal workers’ insurance. In this context, we may wonder whether the current pensions and health reforms will lead to a better articulation between employment forms and the social protection system. Different scenarios of the possible evolution of the Turkish welfare regime are analysed: will it maintain its existing structure or will it find ways to adapt?