AN OLD BUT TIMELESS SOLUTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SOCIAL INEQUALITIES: PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

During the period whenneoclassical economics was the dominant and untouchable paradigm the publicsector's share was much smaller than that of the private sector, and thestate's role in the economy was essentially restricted to arbitration and, to alesser extent, regulation. After 1980, neoliberal policies, which signified aclear shift in favor of the capitalist classes, reshaped both economicrelations and the state's role in economy. While the social state is stillaccepted as a general principle, there have been partial but important setbacksin the state's role in providing public services. The aim of this study is toobtain additional findings using quantitative research methods, to makecomparisons both among different countries and within Turkey using secondaryresearch data obtained from the OECD, TurkStat and the WEF, and to point outcertain inequalities. Based on correlation analysis conducted using OECD data,an inverse relationship was found between the share of public sector employmentin total employment and income inequality rates. Furthermore, based on datafrom the WEF, striking conclusions have been reached regarding genderinequality. The study examines the inequality-reducing effects of public sectoremployment in Turkey and compares the working conditions of those employed inthe public and private sectors using the 2023 Household Labor Force SurveyMicro Data Set from the TurkStat.