Turkey: An Economic Geography (International Library of Human Geography)

Turkey's economy is a complex mix of modern industry, a traditional agricultural sector, and a rapidly growing private sector. At the same time the country is positioning itself and preparing for entry into the European Union. That Turkey should meet her national economic goals is, therefore, particularly important. A vital factor in achieving these will be the country's regional economies and their associated economic policies. To date, however, many of the policy interventions adopted have been based on models drawn from developed economies and the outcome has raised a number of concerns. Are policy interventions drawn from advanced economies appropriate for transitional economies such as Turkey? Aksel Ersoy's book is the first work to explore the dynamics of local and regional development in Turkey. In addition, he offers a new theoretical framework for understanding the local and regional dynamics of emerging and transitional economies more generally. "Turkey's economy is a complex mix of modern industry, a traditional agricultural sector, and a rapidly growing private sector. At the same time the country is positioning itself and preparing for entry into the European Union. That Turkey should meet her national economic goals is, therefore, particularly important. A vital factor in achieving these will be the country's regional economies and their associated economic policies. To date, however, many of the policy interventions adopted have been based on models drawn from developed economies and the outcome has raised a number of concerns. Are policy interventions drawn from advanced economies appropriate for transitional economies such as Turkey? Aksel Ersoy's book is the first work to explore the dynamics of local and regional development in Turkey. In addition, he offers a new theoretical framework for understanding the local and regional dynamics of emerging and transitional economies more generally."--Bloomsbury Publishing This revised edition builds upon and updates its twin themes of Turkey's continuing incorporation into the capitalist world and the modernization of state and society. It begins with the forging of closer links with Europe after the French Revolution, and the changing face of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. Zurcher argues that Turkey's history between 1908 and 1950 should be seen as a unity, and offers a strongly revisionist interpretation of Turkey's founding father, Kemal Ataturk. In his account of the period since 1950, Zurcher focuses on the growth of mass politics; the three military coups; the thorny issue of Turkey's human right's record; the alliance with the West and relations with the European Community; Turkey's ambivalent relations with the Middle East; the increasingly explosive Kurdish question; and the continuing political instability and growth of Islam. Front Cover Author Biography Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures List of Tables Introduction. Understanding the rise of emerging economies 1. Local and regional economic development in Turkey: policy and practices 2. Transformation in regional policy 3. Turkey’s protean regional policy and national development plans 4. The structure of the Turkish economy 5. Regional development experience before and after EU candidacy 6. Theorizing regional economic development 7. The role of technology and SMEs in Turkey 8. Turkey’s human capital and knowledge economy 9. Institutional capacity in Turkey 10. The role of TNCs in Turkey 11. Turkey’s emerging spatial patterns Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index