This book provides a set of critical perspectives on the economic crises of 2000 and 2001 focusing on both the origins and consequences of the crises. Attention is drawn to the role of domestic actors as well as key external actors such as the International Monetary Fund in precipitating the twin crises.

The Effect of the Gobal Crisis on Turkish Economy

Since the financial crisis of 2000 and 2001 the Turkish economy has undergone considerable change and some improvement. This book gives a detailed examination of the neo-liberal restructuring that has taken place and the challenges the economy still faces, providing a comparative perspective on recent reforms and the position of Turkey in the global economy. This book examines all major aspects of the post-crisis economic performance of the Turkish economy. Major sectors of the economy such as agriculture and manufacturing along with key issues such as privatization, export growth, developments in the labour market, poverty and social exclusion are analysed in detail. The authors consider Turkish performance from a comparative perspective, drawing attention to its similarities with the experience of other emerging markets. Providing an insight into the major difficulties of post-crisis adjustment, sustainability of the gains achieved so far and the challenges that lie ahead, this book will be of interest to academics and scholars in the fields of International Political Economy and Globalization Studies, Middle East Studies and Development Studies, as well as having significance for practitioners in emerging markets.

Including contributions from noted international scholars, this collection of papers provides a strong theoretical and empirical underpinning for the discussion of major public policy issues facing Turkey today. Matters addressed include: determinants of growth and productivity education and human capital accumulation income inequality corporate control and government performance of the government sector impact of major public policy issues on the future growth prospects of the Turkish economy. This volume relates the impact of major public policy issues on the future growth prospects of the Turkish economy. At a time when Turkey is currently attempting to gain membership to the European Union, this pertinent reference questions whether the country's economy is in fact ready for EU accession and membership.

Turkey is an interesting case study because it was one of the hardest hit emerging economies by the global financial crisis, with a year-over-year contraction of 15 percent during the first quarter of 2009. At the same time, anticipating the fallout from the crisis, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) decreased policy rates by an astounding 1025 basis points over the November 2008 to November 2009 period. In this context, this paper addresses the following broad question: If an inflation targeting framework underpinned by a flexible exchange rate regime was not adopted, how much deeper would the recent recession have been? Counterfactual experiments based on an estimated structural model provide quantitative evidence which suggests that the recession would have been substantially more severe. In other words, the interest rate cuts implemented by the CBRT and exchange rate flexibility both helped substantially soften the impact of the global financial crisis.

The key policy challenge for Turkey in the years ahead will be to enhance and consolidate the advances made since the nation’s 2000-01 economic crisis. Higher growth could reduce unemployment and raise living standards toward European Union levels. This paper reviews Turkey’s policy performance in terms of growth, inflation, debt, fiscal and financial sector reform, and labor markets. The analysis assesses the effectiveness of macroeconomic stabilization and structural reforms since the crisis and provides guideposts for future policy.