jepr İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi 2148-3876 İstanbul Üniversitesi 10.26650/JEPR1785376 Policy of Treasury Maliye Politikası Examining Education, Culture, Health, and Workforce Characteristics of Turkish Provinces: A Cluster-Based Analysis https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1034-0567 Mutlu Elif IZMIR BAKIRCAY UNIVERSITY https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6876-3982 Peker Serhat IZMIR BAKIRCAY UNIVERSITY https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9567-3675 Kuvvetli Ümit IZMIR BAKIRCAY UNIVERSITY 02 19 2026 13 1 277 291 09 16 2025 12 16 2025 Copyright © 2014, İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi 2014 İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi

This study examines the education, culture, health, and workforce characteristics of Turkish provinces through a cluster-based analytical approach. Using data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUİK) and the Ministry of Health, we assess provincial-level performance across a diverse set of social development indicators. The clustering analysis identifies groups of provinces with similar profiles, highlighting regional disparities and patterns in the distribution of public services and labour market conditions. The results show that metropolitan provinces form a highly developed cluster characterised by strong economic capacity and population growth, while several clusters reflect structurally disadvantaged regions with low economic performance, negative net migration, and limited social infrastructure. In addition, some provinces exhibit relatively high education and cultural indicators despite weaker economic outcomes, underscoring the heterogeneous nature of regional development in Türkiye. Overall, the findings provide a nuanced spatial classification of provinces and offer policy-relevant insights for designing cluster-specific regional development strategies and more equitable resource allocation.

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