Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, cilt.43, sa.1, ss.19-36, 2016 (Scopus)
© 2016, Western Michigan University. All rights reserved.In Turkey, the word "family" was used for the first time in the title of a ministry (state department) with the establishment of The Ministry (Department) of Family and Social Policies in July 2011. This article analyzes the process through which the new ministry came into being and discusses the elements of continuity and shift in the current government's family policy. Kingdon's (2002) multiple streams framework is used to analyze the policy making process. Thus, the article discusses how the problem, policy and political streams opened the window for the Ministry of Family and Social Policies. While the problem and policy streams are found useful for the analysis, the problem stream is insufficient to understand the unique context of Turkish politics.