The Limits of Duty and Authority Sharing Between Local Governments– Central Administrations in Turkey within the Light of Constitutional Court

Determination of the fields of activity and decentralization is one of the most significant aspects of the autonomy of local governments in their relations with central administrations. This feature known as functional autonomy of local governments; is the principle established in order to keep the balance in the relationship of local governments and central administrations in terms of not being in favor of one of them. Functional autonomy acts on the idea of a local government being the only executive institution responsible for all of the public services for the local community living in that area. Article 127 of Turkey's 1982 Constitution sets forth as a constitutional principle that local governments are to meet the local common needs. Thus, the limitation of responsibility and authority sharing between the central authority and local governments is framed with the concept of “local common service”.