Public services can be broadly defined as the comprehensive range of services provided to ensure social order, meet societal needs, and enhance social welfare. Public administration exists to organize, plan, and deliver these services in the public interest. Emerging from long-standing struggles for social rights, public services not only address essential needs but also establish what constitutes basic rights.

Public rights are constitutionally guaranteed entitlements that individuals possess by virtue of their participation in society. These rights, grounded in the collective interest, ensure equality among members of society and guarantee access to the services necessary for a dignified life. The foundation of public service lies in safeguarding and enhancing access to public rights, making public service a cornerstone of society. However, increasing trends of privatization and marketization have significantly narrowed the scope of public services, creating substantial barriers to accessing public rights. Coupled with economic crises, natural disasters, income inequality, migration, and population growth, these challenges underscore the urgent need to reconsider the scope, quality, and effectiveness of public services. Today, the primary mission of public administration is to ensure inclusive access to public rights, rooted in the principles of justice and equality, and to reorganize and strengthen public services to meet this objective.

To address these pressing issues, the II International Public Administration Congress, themed “Public Services and Access to Public Rights,” will be held in Ankara on 30–31 October 2025. The congress seeks to re-examine public services and access to public rights within their historical, social, and administrative contexts.
This congress welcomes studies that analyze the historical evolution and current state of public services; highlight the essence of public services by emphasizing public interest; examine public services through the lens of public resources, budgeting, personnel, and oversight; develop recommendations for expanding and improving public services based on equality and justice; share comparative insights from successful practices across different countries; redefine the relationship between public services and social needs with a focus on social welfare and the public interest.

The II International Public Administration Congress aims to gather academics, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers engaged in public service studies under the framework of the themes mentioned below. We invite individuals and teams (panels) to present their research, insights, and experiences at the congress.