Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

In the literature, there are many studies focus on refugee crisis which is the one of the most important policy problems facing many countries today. However, the limited number of studies have examined the characteristics of this policy problem. Therefore, there is a need for studies to analyze the nature of the refugee crisis. The concept of wicked problem is very useful for understanding the characteristics of complex, intractable, and open-ended policy problems such as the refugee crisis. This article examines refugee crisis in Turkey within the context of wicked problem. Turkey is one of the countries most affected by refugee influx from Syria due to the longest land border. In this paper, the scope, dimensions and actors of the refugee crisis in Turkey will be analyzed. This paper argues that the refugee crisis is an example of wicked policy problem. Although the concept of wicked problems has become a fad in public policy analysis, it contributes to understanding the nature of policy problems. However, we obviously need more attention to the degree and type of wickedness. It is considered that understanding the nature of this policy problem will contribute to the policy design for tackling it.