Public Administration Responses to COVID-19 in the Context of Local Autonomy: A Comparative Analysis of Turkey and OECD Countries

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Objective: This study provides a cross-country descriptive comparison of public administration responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on Turkey's 2022 public administration measures in the context of OECD countries. Materials and Methods: The study utilized the Government Response Index (GRI) and Stringency Index (SI) from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) dataset. Turkey's policy response intensity was assessed relative to OECD countries using mean, median, and maximum values, as well as rankings and percentiles. Local autonomy was defined as a structural component shaping the institutional governance context, rather than as an explanatory variable for the level of pandemic policies. Findings: In 2022, Turkey ranked between the middle and upper deciles among OECD countries for average Government Response Index and Stringency Index values. For maximum values, Turkey was positioned in the upper quartiles, indicating the implementation of high-intensity public administration interventions during specific periods. The disparity between average and maximum values indicates that, while Turkey maintained a stable policy response overall, it implemented more intensive and comprehensive interventions during critical periods. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that evaluating pandemic management solely through one-dimensional indicators is inadequate. Utilizing multiple comparative approaches that position countries' public administration responses along diverse criteria makes a significant contribution to the public administration and crisis governance literature.