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17The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies Year: 16 - Number: 94, p. 323-338, Spring 2023
Local and International Organizations' Co-operation for Urban Migration Policy and Urban Economics: The Case of Information
Centres (BILMER)*
Asst. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yaman ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2359-8653 Tarsus University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Political Science and Public
Administration, Mersin - TURKEY
Artcile Histor
Submitted: 29.01.2023 Accepted: 22.03.2023 Published Online: 30.03.2023
Keywords
Urban policy
Urban Economics
Migration Management
Local and International Organizations Cooperatio
ILO
Research Article
* This article was checked by Intihal.net. This article is under the Creative Commons license. Ethics committee approval is not required for this article.
DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/JASSS.68046
Abstract
Migration has a global impact, but it also intersects with local and national issues. In 2020, 281 million people lived outside their country of birth or citizenship, according to the United Nations Global Migration Database. The number of persons displaced across international borders is increasing due to conflict, persecution, and violence. Most of the world's refugees and asylum seekers live in low- and middle-income countries. There is a medal that has two sides. On the one hand, migrants have been discussed as an actor who has a negative impact on social and economic order. On the other hand, they contribute to the sustainable development of host countries in social and economic ways. However, host countries and societies try to advance politics to enhance the development potential of migration. Local, national, and nongovernmental organizations should work together to develop and implement an urban and public policy to diminish the negative effects of migration. To do that, many institutions and associations play important roles in managing the social and economic consequences of migration. In this study, I assess the role of local and international organizations' cooperation according to urban migration policy and urban economics. To clarify that, this article benefits from a project called BILMER that is conducted by the Unions of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen, municipalities and the International Labour Organization (ILO). This paper contends that cooperation on migration policy and urban economics not only reduces negative effects for refugees, but also helps to improve the institutional capacity of local partners. The findings show that the cooperation local and international organizations reinforce three thematic areas. Firstly, the partnership develops institutional capacity of the NGO such as physical improvements, establishing communication channel and capacity building for staff. Secondly, local and international actors play an active role that is boosting the governance capacity on level of local managers. Thanks to the activities of the project, all the other actors can be a part of it and share what they've learned, which helps the partnership improve its ability to manage migration in urban areas. Finally, the cooperation with international actors on a local level has a social and economic transfer. The social and economic transfer can be used to strengthen social cohesion.
Reference Information / Atif Bilgisi
Yaman, A. (2023). Local and International Organizations' Co-operation for Urban Migration Policy and Urban Economics: The Case of Information Centres (BILMER). Jass Studies-The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, 16(94), 323-338.
The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies Yil: 16 - Sayi: 94 , s. 323-338, Bahar 2023
Yerel ve Uluslararasi Kuruluglarin Kentsel Gög Yönetimi ve Kent Ekonomisine Yönelik igbirlikleri: Bilgi Merkezleri (BILMER) Örnegi*
Dr. Ögr. Üyesi Ahmet Yaman Tarsus Üniversitesi, iktisadi ve idari Bilimler Fakültesi, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü, Mersin -
TÜRKiYE
Makale Gecmisi
Geli§: 29.01.2023 Kabul:22.03.2023 On-line Yayin: 30.03.2023
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kentsel Politika
Kent Ekonomisi
Gög Yönetimi
Yerel ve Uluslararasi Organizasyonlarin i§birligi
ILO
Aragtirma Makalesi
* Bu makale, intihal.net tarafindan taranmijtir. Bu makale, Creative Commons lisansi altindadir. Bu makale igin etik kurul onayi gerekmemektedir.
DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/JASSS.68046
Öz
Gög küresel bir etkiye sahip olmakla birlikte yerel ve ulusal sorunlarin kesi§iminde yer almaktadir. Birle§mi§ Milletler Küresel Gög Veri Tabanina göre 2020 yilinda 281 milyon insan dogdugu veya vatanda§i oldugu ülkenin di§inda ya§amaktadir. Her gegen gün gati§ma ve §iddet nedeniyle yerinden edilen kifi sayisi artmaktadir. Dünyadaki mülteci ve siginmacilarin gogu dü§ük ve orta gelirli ülkelerde ya§amaktadir. Gög olgusu iki yüzlü bir madolyon olarak tanimlanabilir. Bir yandan gögmenler toplumsal ve ekonomik düzeni olumsuz etkilerken diger yandan gögmenler ev sahibi ülkenin kalkinmasina katkida bulunmaktadir. Bu nedenle gög yönetiminin geli§imine yönelik politikalarin belirlenmesi kaginilmazdir. Yerel, ulusal ve sivil toplum kurulu§lari, gögün olumsuz etkilerini azaltmak igin kentsel ve kamu politikasi geli§tirmek ve uygulamak igin birlikte gali§maktadir. Bu gali§mada, kentsel gög politikasi ve kent ekonomisi agisindan yerel ve uluslararasi kurulu§lar önemli bir rol oynamaktadir. Bu i§birligi rolünü incelemek amaciyla Uluslararasi ^ali§ma Örgütü'nün (ILO) destekledigi esnaf ve sanatkarlar odalari birlikleri ve belediyeler tarafindan yürütülen Bilgi Merkezi (BiLMER) projesinden yararlanilmi§tir. Bu makalede, yerel ve uluslararasi aktörlerlerin i§birliklerinin yalnizca mülteciler üzerindeki olumsuz etkileri azaltmakla kalmayip ayni zamanda yerel ortaklarin kurumsal kapasitelerini geli§tirmeye de yardimci oldugunu ileri sürülmektedir. Ara§tirma kapsaminda, yerel ve uluslararasi kurulujlarin i§birliginin üg tematik alani güglendirdigini görülmü§tür. ilk alan ortaklik/i§birlikleridir. Buna göre, öncelikle fiziksel iyile§tirmeler, ileti§im kanali kurma ve yerel aktörlerin personelleri igin kapasite geli§tirilmi§tir. ikincisi, yerel ve uluslararasi aktörlerce yürütülen proje, yerel yöneticiler düzeyinde yöneti§im kapasitesini artiran aktif bir rol oynamaktadir. Proje faaliyetleri sayesinde, tüm aktörler yöneti§imin bir pargasi olmasi ve tecrübelerini payla§masi sayesinde ortakligin kentsel alanlarda gögü yönetme yetenegini geli§tirdigi ileri sürülmektedir. Son olarak, yerel düzeyde uluslararasi aktörlerle i§birliginin sosyal ve ekonomik bir katkisi da vardir. Bu igbirlikleri sayesinde sosyal ve ekonomik transferler yerel ve gögmen topluluklar arasindaki sosyal uyumu güglendirmektedir.
INTRODUCTION
Migration research in Turkiye has become more popular in recent years, both in academia and among urban and public policy implementers. Turkiye remains a migration hub due to its location in the center of the international migration flow. For the eighth consecutive year, Turkey hosts the world's largest refugee population, with just over 4 million refugees and asylum-seekers under temporary and international protection (Sirkeci & Yucegahin, 2014: 1-10; The UN Refugee Agency, 2022: 1). Turkiye has faced a complex humanitarian crisis that threatens the social and economic circumstances of Turkiye's society. There was an ambiguous situation at the beginning of the Syrian migration. Policymakers said that Turkiye has followed an "open door" policy towards Syrian refugees. The Turkish government's discourse was based on the fact that the Syrian migration flow was temporary. The Syrian migration is now an inevitable reality that is accepted by host society members and policymakers (Erdogan, 2019a; Koyuncu, 2018; Yaman, 2016: 96-97).
Until now, the Syrian war has not only affected Turkey's borders, but it has also become an international issue that crosses regional borders. The extremely rapid increase of flow of Syrian refugees from Syria to European countries shifted European policymakers' focus to the global refugee crisis (Gumug et al., 2020: 53). All kinds of migration concern the sending or receiving country's social, economic, and security systems. At the same time, migration has become a cross-border phenomenon that affects the economic, political, human, security, and development agendas (Castles & Miller, 2008). Different aspects of the migration problem affect host countries, refugee countries, and target countries. For instance, since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, Turkiye has carried out various policies and implementation tools regarding the social, economic, health, and security spheres. The Directorate General of Migration Management was established in 2013 to carry out migration-related activities and actions at the local and national levels. The General Directorate's status was changed to the Presidency
- by Presidential Decree No. 85, which was published in the Official Gazette on 29 October 2021 and
numbered 31643. The Presidency not only monitors and coordinates the implementation of policies and strategies but also assists in the programming and projecting of the activities of public institutions and organizations in the field of migration. The presidency determines six aims and objectives (describe below) for managing migration in the 2019-2023).
1. Manageable regular migration
2. Combating irregular migration
3. Effective international protection mechanism
4. Combating human trafficking and protection of victims
5. Mutual harmonization and communication
6. Strong institutional capacity (Gog Idaresi Bagkanligi, 2021: 40; Precidency of Migration Management, 2023a).
From this point forward, Turkey's institutional structure is altered to accommodate the new migration situation. Based on data from the Migration Presidency, all of the Turkish provinces are currently home to Syrians who have fled their country. As of January, there were more than 3.5 million registered Syrian refugees in Turkey. Within Turkiye's migration policy and implementation, Syrian who have been registered and issued Temporary Protection Document, they can register to the primary and secondary education schools. Also, Syrian can study at universities with this document. Likewise, they can benefit from health services within the province where they live (Gumug et al., 2020; ORSAM & TESEV, 2015; Precidency of Migration Management, 2023c; Seyhan, 2014; TTB, 2014).
Although Turkiye has accommodated institutional capacity and regulated its public services for the refugees, there are many social and economic problems, such as discrimination against Syrians and
accessibility to public services for the refugees. Furthermore, Syrians have two effects on the urban economic structure. On the one hand, Syrians can find employment on the informal economy, are paid less than half the minimum wage, work without security and job safety. Syrian social capital, on the other hand, has a positive impact on Turkey's economic and social development (Erciyes, 2016: 24-34; Lordoglu & Asian, 2015: 250-260; §im§ek & gorabatir, 2016: 128-129; Yaman, 2016).
Türkiye historically pursues a proactive approach on the international level. In August 1949, Turkey was invited to become a founding member of the Council of Europe, establishing the first institutional link with Europe after World War II. Turkey works closely with the OECD, United Nations, European Union, and their sub-organizations, etc., based on social, economic, and political contexts. Türkiye develop projects in collaboration with the international organizations called the United Nations (UN), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (who) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2023). The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNCHR) in Turkey operates since early 1960s. The Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) and UNHCR will conduct the first-ever verification exercise in Turkey. The effort will seek to update and gather missing information on refugees, such as biometric data, contact information, and extensive background information, as well as to incorporate verification as a continuous aspect of registration. UNCHR has active role in terms of protection, education, health, basic needs and cash-based initiatives, camp coordination, community empowerment. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2022; §im§ek & gorabatir, 2016: 130-141).
In 1991, following the conclusion of the Gulf War, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) opened its first office in Turkey. IOM's relationship with the Republic of Turkey was established in November 2004 when Turkey became an IOM member. Since then, the relationship between IOM
and Turkey has maintained, including assistance with the formulation of the Law of Foreigners and -
International Protection. In addition to addressing the needs of migrants during crises, the mission collaborates closely with the Turkish government to address the longer-term effects of migration, including migrant assistance programs, labour integration and migration management, immigration and border management, and research and data on migrant movement (The International Organization for Migration, 2023). The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations specialized agency for the world of work. The ILO was founded in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. It became the United Nations' first specialized agency in 1946. Turkey joined the International Labor Organization in 1932. The ILO brings together governments, employers, and workers from its 187 member states to talk about the future of work from a human-centred perspective. This is done by focusing on creating decent jobs, workers' rights, social protection, and social dialogue. In order to achieve of these objectives, ILO manages a wide range of projects in all regions of the world (ILO, 2022a).
All these actions are directly called "global migration governance." The concept of "governance" is considered a management capacity or coalition among international, national, and local institutions such as NGOs, local governments, etc. So, in other words, global migration governance refers to a decision-making mechanism that works in accordance with rules, regulations, and the decision-making mechanism. For Türkiye in particular, the migration governance network is composed of various actors such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, local governments, local non-governmental organizations, etc. (getin, 2022). Migration governance, which involves both local and global actors, is a component of urban public policy dynamics. Many actors on the ground, such as civil society groups and non- governmental organizations, take into consideration local spatial, economic, and political
327
dynamics (Korneev, 2017: 403; Soysa, 2020: 51-55).
Moreover, it has observed that migrants reside in urban areas, and that the social and economic impacts of the migration have occurred in urban space, regardless of whether international or national organizations take action to manage the effects of the migration movement throughout the world. the migration's international and local mutual relationship makes the partnership of local and international actors inevitable. For this study, BILMER is an information centres project that the ILO and local organizations conduct together in Turkiye (Adana, Ankara, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, Mersin, §anliurfa). Information centres (BILMER- Bilgi Merkezleri) are established across provinces in the country (ILO, 2022b). In the scope of this research, I investigate the BILMER project regarding the institutional capacity of local partners, enhancing the governance capacity of local areas, and managing migration policy and urban economics in urban areas.
This study applied a qualitative research approach to comprehend and discuss "the local and international organizations' collaborative projects" on urban migration policy and urban economics. In particular, the research is designed as a case study, which focuses on comprehending a specific social phenomenon based on the perspectives of an instrumental case study (Creswell, 2015; Glesne, 2016; Yildirim & §imgek, 2005). In this regard, I benefit from secondary data resources such as reports, literature, development, and strategic plans. The data were coded based on a selective coding paradigm developed by Strauss. In its aftermath, the analysis of the data was performed using MAXQDA 2022 Pro. (Kuckartz, 2015; Strauss, 2003: 32).
The structure of this study consists of three chapters, as follows: The first section discusses urban migration policy and urban economics based on local and international actors. The section provides some evidence, including local and international policy implementations. The second chapter focuses on the BILMER project that is conducted in collaboration between the International Labour Organization and local actors across some provinces in Turkiye.
Urban Migration Policy and Urban Economics Evaluation Based on Local and International
Actors
As we see that cities are becoming more attractive places for the people. Two-thirds of the world's population has resided in urban places since the 21st century (United Nations, 2018). That is to say, our society can also be described as an urban society. The urbanization process shows us that the city is not only the centre of economic and social development, but also has unequal and unhealthy conditions: infrastructure is lacking, poverty and deprivation are present, and traffic, noise, and air pollution are present (Yaman, 2022b).
Social problems are visible and reproducible in cities and urban spaces as a result of rapid change and transformation caused by industrialization and urbanization in the world and in Turkey. Due to industrialization and urbanization's mutual relationship, urban space has been negatively affected in terms of urban services planning, urban infrastructure, and urban management problems (Gottdiener & Hutchison, 2011: 1-5; Saunders, 1989: 15-20). Additionally, regional and local instability circumstances have affected human's migration decisions. In recent years, there have been more refugees than before. People left their country because of war, violence, persecution, and other things (Laczko & Vidal, 2022). Because of migration, there is a concentration of people in cities. For instance, most of the Syrian refugees in Turkey became "urban refugees" after 2023. According to the Presidency of Migration Management, 98.3 percent of Syrian refugees who are in the scope of temporary protection live across provinces in Turkey (Erdogan, 2019b; Precidency of Migration Management, 2023b). This social reality has also changed the ways that cities and governments set their priorities. Also, when a country's population changes, it brings up new issues for urban and public policy. For instance, the "Eleventh Development Plan 2019-2023" has a special section that stresses the objectives, policies, and
measures of Turkiye's external migration policy. Turkiye's government plans migration management policy in line with safe, systematic, evidence-based and compatible with human rights (Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbagkanligi Strateji ve Butge Bagkanligi, 2019: 173-175).
Migration is a complicated topic. So, migration policy cuts horizontally across social, cultural, and economic areas (The International Organization for Migration, 2021). Migrants face issues and demands in a variety of social, economic, political, and cultural areas, including education, health, unemployment, poverty, the environment, and health, as well as violence, crime. To cope with these challenges, urban public policy gives us a broad perspective on how policymakers should formulate policy tools to diminish migration's negative effects. The public policy can be described as local and national governments' programs and activities with constitute a bunch of intervention and implementation tool in order to solve for a specific social problem (Demir & Kurt, 2018: 398; Knoepfel et al., 2007: 26; Yaman, 2021). Accordingly, Urban policy is expressed in the way that decisions that directly affect all groups living in the city are taken and implemented, covering almost all areas of urban life, such as providing social order (Erder & Indoglu, 2013: 26-28; John, 2017: 44)
This study argues that urban public policy affects urban migration policy in related to urban economics. Urban economics focuses on market forces, land uses, urban transportation, urban services that are conducted by the local governments in the cities (O'Sullivan, 2011: 2). Thus, urban economics is defined as the process by which policymakers shape and manage economic structures in urban areas where migrants live and attempt to survive. In fact, the impacts of urban economics structure can determine to acting a dynamic of economic, social, political and demographic processes influencing migration (Laczko & Vidal, 2022: 103). By the way, urban economics is not only related to the economic values of the migrants; it also looks at the social output of the migration. To clarify this, we should ask a question "what is the impact of the Syrian migration on the Turkiye's urban economics structure"? In ^28 generally the effects of the migration is discussed as unemployment, employment and informal economy. The largest area in which Syrian immigrants are involved in the business market is probably the area where they work as addicts. This dependency relationship consists primarily of construction, agriculture, trade and industrial sectors based on the basis of the fee (Lordoglu & Aslan, 2015: 254). Syrians migrants are a key factor in the Turkish labour market. According to ILO, Syrians work in sectors with which traditionally have high informality rates. Syrian refugees are likely to jump from job to another on the job market, making it hard for them to find steady work. The economic activities and occupations held by Syrian refugees are determined by their informal working arrangements (Caro, 2020: 1). There is an another economic activity that Syrians refugees occur it outside of the informal economy. Immigrants make an important contribution to the economies and, particularly, to the labour markets. In other words, immigrants not only contribute to the economy as employees but also as entrepreneurs, creating new firms and businesses (OECD, 2010: 15).
The economic activities of immigrants are affected by urban public policy and implementation tools in urban space. We know that municipalities are primarily responsible for managing of city. Most people think that local governments are the ones who should deal with the problems of immigrants. Since they moved into the city, refugees can use many of the same services as other residents. In Turkey, Law numbered 5393 and 5216 are the main local government regulations. Unfortunately, these rules don't say how a city or town should deal with refugees in a clear way. What kind of services, and how much, do local governments need to give to refugees? (Alvanozoglu & Ate§, 2020: 377).
As I mentioned above, migration is a complicated issue, and managing it is also difficult and multidimensional. Local and national governments, as well as non-governmental organizations play an important role in managing migration. Even though national governments are in charge of migration, local organizations and their abilities have an effect on migrants' social cohesion and ways of staying
alive. IOM says that migration management is "planned approaches to the implementation and operationalization of policy, legislative, and administrative frameworks, developed by the institutions in charge of migration." (The International Organization for Migration, 2021: 247). In order to improve migration management capacity, Turkish governments prepared an "Compliance Strategy Document and National Action Plan 2018-2023" which defines the role of local and national organizations to strengthen social cohesion in Turkey (Gog Idaresi Bagkanligi, 2020). Even if the migration management is based on Law 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (YUKK) in Turkey, local organizations take an action to deal with the migration problem. As soon as municipalities faced with a massive wave of migration, they took action on their own terms. So they adopted different approaches and used different tools to solve problems with their own limited resources (Gültagli et al., 2021: 3-5). §i§li Municipality established a "Migration Helpdesk and Center" and Pendik Municipality provides support to migrants, encouraging cultural exchange and the expansion of social networks (Kahraman et al., 2019: 50-53; The International Organization for Migration, 2018). For example, the RESLOG Project in Turkey wants to make local government more resistant to migration by helping local governments offer services to both citizens and immigrants (RESLOG Project, 2021) . Within the project's scope, it was clear that municipalities offered a wide range of social services, health care, education, care for the environment, water and sanitation, and emergency rescue (Dakdevir et al., 2021).
In order to reflect local realities and needs is an essential factor to improving capacity of local organizations and also to strengthening local governance. In this regards, international and local organizations are developing joint projects and collaborations. The following section discusses the BILMER project, which is run in some provinces in Türkiye in cooperation with local organizations and the International Labour Organization.
229 The Information Centres (BILMER) Project, as a Local and International Action
International Labour Organization (ILO) has been not only providing a technical cooperation to countries but also it has prepared development programmes and project based on labour standards and decent work since the early 1950s. The projects are carried out with close cooperation between the countries that get the aid, the countries that give the aid, and the ILO, which has a network of area and regional offices around the world. The main goal of ILO technical cooperation is to make the Decent Work agenda happen on a national level by helping people make this idea a reality for both men and women. (ILO, 2023a). ILO has been working on different projects in seven different parts of the world. These projects include employment, governance, support, and management; policy areas; policy making; social dialogue and protection; standards; and fundamental principles and rights at work (ILO, 2023c). For instance, the ILO is implementing the Refugees Response Programme (RRP). Within the scope of the RRP, "Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens" project is implemented. The project is run by the ILO Office for Turkey in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS) and its key agencies and directorates, such as the Social Security Institution (SSI) and the Directorate-General for International Labour Force (DGILF), as well as with unions of chambers of tradesmen and craftsmen and their confederation (TESK), social partners, local governments, municipalities, and other public agencies and stakeholders (ILO, 2023b). This study particularly investigates the Refugees Response Programme (RRP) and Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens Project. As seen in Table 1, in terms of components, three action stages were formulated.
Table 1: the ILO Programme and Projects Based on Urban Economics
Programme / Project Components
The Refugees
Response Programme (RRP)
/
Promoting Decent Work for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens Project
The Work-Based Learning Programme (WBL)
Information (BILMERs)
Centers
Transition to
Formality
Programme (KIGEP)
Through WBL, jobseekers (Syrian refugees as well as Turkish citizens) gain access to vocational training simultaneously with formal job experience through on-the-job and off-the-job training, while employers gain access to a qualified workforce. Wage subsidy / Partnerships with organizations / Financial support is provided for women to cover childcare services and outreach to persons with disabilities is targeted via specific institutions such as i§KUR.
Partnerships are set up with the Unions of Chambers Tradesmen and Craftsmen (ESOBs), municipalities, chambers of industry and other partners to establish Information Centers (BILMERs) / BILMERs provide inclusive, effective and efficient services to support the formalization process of informal tradesmen and craftsmen. BILMERs raise employers' awareness of the rules and regulations in the labour market
Through the KIGEP, the project provides support to employers to employ equal numbers of Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens formally / Employers receive support payment for up to six months and a one-off work permit fee per worker under the KIGEP programme / The main partner is the Social Security Institution (SSI) which also encourages formal employment of Syrian refugees as well as Turkish citizens / The incentive scheme includes administrative and financial support to apply for work permits and covers social security contributions._
330
Resources: (ILO, 2023b) The table was composed by the author.
As mentioned in Table 1, the project and its components are willing to support an equal number of Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens. It also promotes inclusive economic growth and social cohesion based on decent-work principles. The project financed by the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW Development Bank. Since December 6, 2018, the three programmes have been carried out across the seventeen provinces of Turkiye (ILO, 2023b). As seen in Figure 1, the projects are running seventeen provinces in Turkiye.
Figure 1: The ILO Projects by Provinces in Turkiye
331
The ILO has a strategy that works closely with national and local governments, as well as nongovernmental organizations, to support refugees' access to economic opportunities, which is critical to restoring hope, dignity, and human security (The International Organization for Migration, 2021). In this study, "the Information Centers Component" is investigated in terms of urban economics and collaboration between international and local actors. The goal of the BILMER project is to help host communities and refugees to support formality of tradesmen, craftsmen and micro enterprises (ILO, 2023a).
The information centers, locally knows as BiLMER, are established in partnership with the Directorate-General for International Labour Force (DGILF) of the Ministry of Labour and Social
Figure 2: The Co-operation Partners of the BILMER Project
332
Security (MoLSS) and in coordination with the Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK). As seen in Figure 2, the BILMER project demonstrates effective cooperation on a global, national, and local scale.
MoLSS, TESK and DGILF is responsible for facilitating and supporting local partners at province levels. Unions is a professional organization, which work for tradesmen and craftsmen. In Article 15 of the Turkish Commercial Code, Turkish tradesmen and craftsmen who work in in certain parts of the street or in a shop, or a hard keep in bodily operate more capital based (Turkish Commercial Code, 2011). The concept of "urban" is described as a place where people live and work together and where economic activities also take place. Cities and their residents' economic and social progress go hand in hand (Yaman, 2022b). Everyone admitted that Turkiye's cities have been impacted by the massive migration flow since 2011. So this current situation is getting worse for managing cities and urban economic structures. Moreover, the refugees are getting more vulnerable than host communities. In this regard, the BILMER project aims to contribute to creating decent jobs for host communities and refugees as well as strengthen to social cohesion (ILO, 2023b; MERSiN ESOB BiLMER, 2022).
By June 2023, the BILMER project is expected to reach more than 12.400 consultations. There are at least 10,000 consultations for informal workers and 2,400 for informal businesses. Ten percent of these should lead to formalization. According to ILO Syrian Refugees in the Turkish Labour Market, the employment histories of Syrian refugees are likely to be somewhat unstable, as they frequently switch jobs (Caro, 2020: 9). This reality adversely affects both refugees and local communities in social and economic ways. For instance, some presidents of the Turkish tradesmen and craftsmen stated that Syrian refugees whether they are employer or employees, works illegally. This situation causes irregularity and the unfair competition for urban economics structure (iHA, 2014; Lordoglu & Aslan,
2015; Milliyet Gazetesi, 2014; Yaman, 2016).
The ILO supports to gain a living in decent working conditions to refugees and host communities in Turkey. So The BILMER project aims to contribute to creating decent jobs for host communities and refugees. To do that, The BILMER uses three implementation tools, which support formality of tradesmen, craftsmen and micro enterprises who are refugees or local community members.
Figure 3 shows that the BILMER implements three essential thematic tools related to
The BILMER Projects Implemantation Tools
Figure 3: The BILMER Projects Implementation Tools
institutional capacity, governance capacity, and social-economic transfer for supporting refugees and local community members. Each thematic tool develops project partners' skills as well as directly supports refugees to increase the formalization process. In relation to the governance perspective, unions have the chance to work with international organizations. In this way, the executives of the unions can contact international actors and share their social and economic circumstances with them. Moreover, local actors directly contribute to formulating urban public policy and implementations. According to transfer tools, the BILMER operates three critical missions as follows.
1. Technical knowledge
2. Know-how
3. Economic assistance
Concerning the technical knowledge, consultants who work for BILMER, provides counselling and referral services (in Turkish and Arabic) to support the formalization of tradesmen, craftsmen, and micro-enterprises. They raise awareness on the benefits of formalization of informal enterprises. The refugees can access the right information, such as how they can formally register their businesses and
how they can get license. Meanwhile, they can consult freely how they can benefit from loans and incentives for starting a new business. The BILMER also provides technical and financial assistance to ensure the transition to formality, empowering microenterprises and workers one-on-one. By the way, the Information Center provides financial support for employees and enterprises to register. The ILO also contributes to institutional development of local partners. Within the project, the ILO provides procurement and small construction activity for the establishment of the Information Center. For instance, programme can permit to modernize IT equipment, office furniture etc. For this purpose, the BILMER can establish digital channels such as a website and social media channels to provide information on the benefits of registration, formalization procedures for businesses and employees, and existing incentive programs. Moreover, local partners can organize tailor-made capacity-building training for their staff, such as information, data collection and analysis training, migration law, and working legislation (BiLMERMERSiNESOB, 2023; Yaman, 2022a).
By the way, this joint project reflects the social and economic realities, which discovered by the field work which conducted by BILMER. For instance, the BILMER annual evaluation report of Mersin Union of Chambers of Tradesmen (Mersin ESOB) mentioned that Syrian or Turkish tradesmen and craftsmen are suffered by the social and economic conditions which is getting worse day by day. According to Mersin ESOB Report, the entrepreneurs whether they are Syrian or Turkish citizens, they seek to take support from local and national government and await social assistance support. Syrians hesitate to formally register their businesses due to a fear of cutting social assistance, which is given by national and international organizations, even though Syrian entrepreneurs expect to be supported in economic and social ways (Yaman, 2022a).
Discussion and Conclusion
Throughout its entire existence, Turkey has been strategically located at a major intersection of
international migration routes. Turkey is currently home to more than 4 million refugees, making it the -
country with the highest refugee population in the world. Due to hosting the largest refugee population, Turkiye has many challenges in social, economic, and political ways. In generally, the impact of migration is discussed in two different ways. First, refugees cause potentially negative socioeconomic influences on host communities so that many people in the host country consider that refugees will bring about social and economic issues in the future. Second, refugees possibly create jobs, livelihoods not only for themselves, but resident as well. Migration is having an impact on the local economy in the form of additional resources, increased labor supply, and increased entrepreneurial activity. Migration is cutting horizontally socio-economic and political issues in hosting countries. Because of this, it is necessary for the process of migration management to involve cooperation on all three levels: local, national, and international.
One of the most significant aspects of Syrians in Turkey is that they live in almost urban areas. Urban economics and local public policy are affected by refugees and host community's circumstances. It is known that refugees are working illegally in the informal economy, although it is prohibited according to the legislation in Turkey. Host communities complain from refugees due to losing their jobs. Tradesmen and craftsmen say that refugees work without work-permit and they don't pay any taxes so they cause unfair urban economics. It is clearly understood from the complaints and demands that tradesmen and craftsmen need to be made aware of informality, legal regulations, sanctions, labour law, risks and threats related to informality. This circumstance inevitably brings to local and international partnership in the migration management process.
For that reason, there is a need to have a contact place to provide this kind of information and consultancy services. The Information Center, locally as know BiLMER is an important model for international and local cooperation.
This study stated that the BILMER has the capacity to provide all kinds of information and consultancy services that refugees, or host community's members can benefit from for unregistered business and workers. In this context, The BILMER also provides technical and financial assistance to ensure the transition to formality, empowering microenterprises and workers one-on-one. By the way, the Information Center provides financial support for employees and enterprises to register.
By the way, this collaborative initiative reflects the social and economic realities revealed during BILMER's fieldwork. For instance, the BILMER annual evaluation report of the Mersin Union of Chambers of Merchants (Mersin ESOB) indicated that Syrian or Turkish tradesmen and craftsmen are being negatively impacted by the deteriorating social and economic circumstances. According to Mersin ESOB Report, Syrian and Turkish enterprises need local and national government support and social assistance. Syrian entrepreneurs expect economic and social support, but many fear losing national and international social assistance if they register their firms.
The study stressed that the objectives of the BILMER project in terms of urban public policy and urban migration governance. Furthermore, the BILMER project uses some political implementation tools which impacts on urban social and economic conditions on behalf of the host and local communities' capacity building. As a result of the BILMER project aims to reach 12.400 labour forces consultancies and formalize 2.400 unregistered enterprises. Another result obtained was that the cooperation between international and local actors contributed to the migration management process in urban areas. The BILMER project has three main topics, which are related to three important thematic tools, such as institutional capacity, governance capacity, and social-economic transfer, which help refugees and people in the local community. In this study, it was claimed that international and local cooperation projects will contribute to the employment and economy of refugees and local community members. Moreover, the institutional capacity of local actors is being developed, the capacity of their human resources is being increased, and they are getting experience working on international initiatives. The generalizability of these results is subject to certain limitations. For instance, this paper focuses on the BILMER project's objectives and results as a descriptive way. The project helps employers understand the rules and regulations of the labor market. It also helps them apply for work permits and sends them to training and job opportunities. Additionally, it provides inclusive, effective, and efficient services to support formalization process in accordance with local partners. The study, however, does not intend to generalize, but rather to apply its findings to the collaboration of local and international organizations for urban migration policy and urban economics.
"COPE-Dergi Editörleri igin Davranif Kurallari ve En iyi Uygulama ilkeleri" beyanlari:
Etik Kurul Belgesi: Bu galijma igin etik kurul onayi gerekmemektedir.
Cikar Catismasi Beyani: Bu makalenin arajtirmasi, yazarligi veya yayinlanmasiyla ilgili olarak yazarin potansiyel bir gikar gatijmasi yoktur.
Finansal Destek: Bu galijmanin arajtirma ve yazim ajamasinda herhangi kiji/kurum veya kurulujlar tarafindan finansal destek alinmadigi bildirilmijtir.
Destek ve Tefekkür Beyani: ^alijmanin ikincil veri kaynaklarina ulajilmasini saglayan, Uluslararasi ^ali§ma Örgütü'nce (ILO) desteklenen Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep ve Konya Bilgi Merkezi (BÍLMER) koordinatör ve galijanlarina ve ILO program galijanlarina
teçekkûr ederim.
Çifte Kör Hakem Degerlendirmesi: Di§-bagimsiz
Bu makale, Creative Commons Atif-GayriTicari 4.0 Uluslararasi Lisansi ile lisanslanmi§tir.
The following statements are made in the framework of "COPE-Code of Conduct and Best Practices Guidelines for Journal Editors":
Ethics Committee Approval: Ethics committee approval is not required for this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: No conflicts of interest were reported for this article.
Financial Support: It has been reported that this study did not receive financial support from any person/institution or organization during the research and writing phase.
Statement of Support and Acknowledgment: I would like to thank Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep ve Konya Information Center's (BILMER) coordinators ve employees, and ILO's program staff in order to share project secondary data.
Double-Blind Peer Review: External-independent
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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