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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | Ira N. Gang; Achim Schmillen |
| Abstract: | Several post-Soviet states have introduced policies to improve the relative economic, political or social position of formerly disadvantaged populations. Using one example of such policies – “Kazakhisation” in Kazakhstan – we investigate their impact on the comparative earnings of two directly affected groups, ethnic Russians and ethnic Kazakhs. Oaxaca decompositions show that Kazakhs are better endowed with income generating characteristics but receive lower returns to these characteristics than Russians. The second effect dominates and Kazakhs have comparatively lower average living standards. While “Kazakhisation” may have been successful in a narrow sense – i.e., by empowering Kazakhs to take on leading positions in the public sector – more broadly it has been a self-defeating policy as it has pushed ethnic Russians into jobs that often evolved into positions that (at least in monetary terms) are superior now to those held by Kazakhs. |
| Keywords: | Ethnicity; Decomposition; Indigenization, Kazakhstan |
| JEL: | I32 O12 J15 |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ost:wpaper:345&r=cwa |
| By: | Demir, Banu; Javorcik, Beata |
| Abstract: | This study uses a unique dataset to provide the first comprehensive test of the theory of export financing. We extend the existing literature by drawing attention to the theoretical and empirical relationship between the extent of competition in the export market and the choice of financing terms. Our dataset covers the universe of Turkey's exports disaggregated by product, destination, and financing terms for the period 2004-2011. Our identification strategy takes advantage of an exogenous shock, namely, the end of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), a system of bilateral quotas governing the global trade in textiles and clothing until January 1, 2005. The analysis, based on a difference-in-differences approach, suggests that exporter-financed exports to the European Union disproportionately increased, relative to importer or bank-financed exports, in the post-MFA period in products where Turkish competitors initially faced binding quotas. As Turkey was not bound by EU quotas before the end of the MFA, these results are consistent with an increase in competition pushing Turkish exporters to offer trade financing. Our results also support the other theoretical predictions. They indicate that the prevalence of exporter-financed exports (relative to exports on other financing terms) increases with the institutional quality in the importing country, with this effect being stronger for differentiated products. Exporter-financed exports are also more likely to be destined for countries with a less efficient banking sector. |
| Keywords: | competition; Great Recession; Multi-Fibre Arrangement; trade financing |
| JEL: | F14 F36 |
| Date: | 2014–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:10142&r=cwa |
| By: | Lale Berkoz |
| Abstract: | The Relationships between Living Conditions and life satisfaction of elderly people in Istanbul Lale BERKOZ, Funda YÃRMÃBESOGLU ITU, Faculty of Architecture Department of Urban and Regional Planning Taksim, Taþkýþla, 34437, Ãstanbul e-mail: lberkoz@gmail.com The rate of the elderly population increases rapidly throughout the world. The growth rate of the elderly population in the world is 2.1%, whereas the overall population growth rate is over 1.2 % (Mandiraoglu, 2010). The elderly population rate in the United States varies between 15% and 20 %. However, the elderly population rate in Turkey has not reached the level of developed western countries. Although the population rate of those who are 60 and over in Turkey was 5.9% in 1950, it has risen to 7.0% in 1990 and 8.4% in 2000. Today this rate is about 10%. For the coming of aging society, the life satisfaction for the elderly people are very important. Satisfaction is the sense of fulfillment resulting from meeting the needs and demands. Life satisfaction refers to the individual's positive evaluation of his/her life as a whole. Life satisfaction, in other words, subjective quality of life, is a major element of quality aging (TSI, 2004). Along with the health issues that arise with old age, the elderly also encounter problems adapting to the changing urban space, which has not been constructed considering their needs. By creating livable spatial environments, it is especially important to provide the elderly and the disabled with suitable, comfortable and safe living spaces. In this sense, considering universal designing criteria in creating urban strategies can help form and maintain healthy cities. There are a few studies analyzing the life quality of the elderly in Turkey. This study is aimed at investigating the relationships between the living conditions and life satisfaction of the elderly in Istanbul. In the scope of this study 410 questionnaires have been made in face to face interviews of elderly people in residential areas in the districts of Bakýrkoy, Kadýkoy and Besiktas. While selecting these samples, questionnaire quota has been applied proportional to the population of each district and elderly people population. The reason why these districts were selected is the rate of the elderly population in the related areas which is twice as much as the average of Istanbul. Key Words: Life satisfaction, life quality, elderly people, Istanbul, H131 |
| Keywords: | Life satisfaction; life quality; elderly people; Istanbul; |
| Date: | 2014–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa14p90&r=cwa |
| By: | Sinan Levend; Rahmi Erdem |
| Abstract: | This study aims at analyzing the impacts of administrative problems resulting from the two level form of urban government whose framework is outlined in the Law for Metropolitan Municipalities, over the notion of integrated planning. It is suggested that it would be impossible to mention a sustainable integrated planning notion since the institutions entitled to planning within the metropolitan municipalities are not always in coordination. Within the scope of this study, first the provisions of the Law for Metropolitan Municipalities were reviewed; afterwards the process regarding the chosen sample area was discussed accordingly. The method of this research was based on the elaborate analysis of both the sample area and of the Law on Metropolitan Municipalities. At the end of the study, it was concluded that the problems results from the integrated planning of Konya, the share of planning authorization among the levels, the fact that the metropolitan municipal council consists totally of district municipal council members and the existence of certain discrepancies in the law's content in terms of authorities and responsibilities required for planning metropolitan areas. In the final part of the study, solutions for the identified problems were offered. Keywords: Urban Government, Urban Politics, Metropolitan Municipality, Konya-Turkey |
| Keywords: | Urban Government; Urban Politics; Metropolitan Municipality; Konya-Turkey |
| Date: | 2014–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa14p1305&r=cwa |
| By: | fikret zorlu |
| Abstract: | The progress in logistics industry is highly dependent upon international and domestic trade performance of a city. In the literature various studies deal with economic development and its influence on urban growth and land use. Agglomeration theory and cluster theory try to identify the factors of physical concentration and networking characteristics of an specific industry at regional and local scale. This study deals with logistics industry, its relation with international trade and impacts on urban development. Logistics industry is dependent to certain transport infrastructures (port, highway, railway), investment areas (warehouses, truck terminals, delivery center, transport terminals), social capital (skilled labor), operational capacity (fleet size, sub-contracting companies) and land uses (availability of land, land prices, accessibility). This study deals with the role of international trade and logistics industry on urban land use formation in Mersin, Turkey. In Turkey, international trade figures show a gradual growth and hence logistics industry is one of the leading activities of regional economy. Logistics industry in Mersin showed remarkable developments both in terms of variety and scale of activities; therefore, it may refer to a distinct category of economic development of the city. In the last decades both domestic and international trade showed notable growth and geographic concentrations of logistics firms and specialized labor are interrelated to dynamics of trade activities. This study investigates spatial distribution and hierarchal classification of logistic centers, terminals and activities in the city. Urban development and land use of the city at eastern edge are mostly dominated by logistics industry. Location strategies and concentration patterns of 64 logistics companies and their relative influence on urban land use are investigated. Location criteria for the companies are: availability of physical infrastructure, logistics service capacity and possibilities of development. Logistics terminals, truck arks and warehouses are concentrated on the eastern part of the city. Compared to other factors, land availability, accessibility to highway are regarded as most significant factors of location. Finally, companies are classified into three groups according to capacity utilization performances, improvement strategies and location preferences. Land use and location of logistics activities are related to firm strategies. Research findings show three strategies: increasing rates of capacity utilization, technology and capacity improvement and new investment. |
| Keywords: | logistics; trade; urban development; cluster |
| JEL: | R12 R14 |
| Date: | 2014–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa14p157&r=cwa |
| By: | Mehmet Kucukmehmetoglu; Abdurrahman Geymen |
| Abstract: | Rapid urbanization in Turkey has resulted in various problems in urban spaces such as squatter houses, substandard subdivisions, and low-quality urban environment. In order to facilitate self-motivated developments, government has enacted various laws and bylaws and made amendments in current legal frameworks. The 18th Article (Dough Rule) of the Land and Building Development Law (İmar Kanunu) has various and extensive applications in regulating and restructuring cadastral properties. One of the major goals of this law and associated bylaw (bylaw on land readjustment) is to prepare standard high quality subdivision lots with regard to zoning plans. However, there are a series of legal and practical difficulties, and legal dilemmas in allocating the properties among various land owners: First, because, neither local nor the central government has financial capability to confiscate private properties for road networks and public land uses, the government proportionally (maximum 40%) confiscates properties without paying the cost of expropriation. Implicitly, the current law assumes that land owners take the monetary advantage of being in the well-designed planned subdivision and having standard lot(s). Second, allocation from cadastral properties to the standard lots neither provides each owner a unique private lot(s) in the planned subdivision, and nor guarantees that every land owner acquires a piece of land in the same location (spot) before the readjustment process. Although there are certain rules for reallocation in the bylaw, the reallocation is open to harsh disputes and often leads to court cases. This study develops a new approach to reallocate properties to minimize the adversaries and maximize the property owners' desires. The developed optimization technique, first, considers the main principles of the bylaw, and second, finds the best allocation solution for relevant property owners. As an illustrative example, one of the allocation problem is revisited and the difference between model and actual case is reviewed. It has been understood that the developed optimization technique is a practical tool for this kind of problems. |
| JEL: | R00 |
| Date: | 2014–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa14p701&r=cwa |
| By: | gülin giriþken |
| Abstract: | 20th century witnessed Istanbul's unexpected and tumultuous economic, politic, social and spatial transformation. In the first quarter of the 20th century, Istanbul lost half of its population and went through a stagnated duration; however the city regained its importance and former population at the end of 1950's. The city's macroform and transportation infrastructure that could have easily handled the needs of the city at the beginning of the 20th century. However migration accalerated by industrilization began with 1950's and increased need for more transport infrastructure in the urban area and other cities. Due to these rooted changes, the city's macroform turned inside out in terms of spatial context. During this tumultuous and multi-layered transformation period, Istanbul's central business district was restructured and Istanbul pursued being the centre of commerce and economy in the country. In the last decade of the 20th century, with the influential effect of producer services, this transformation and change was reflected to the sectoral and spatial environment. 1950 and following years are the times of radical transformation of the economic, social and cultural structure for Istanbul. The structure and function, cultural and ethnic diversity, the appearance and silhouette the city had sustained for thousands of years has started to change first gradually in the 1950s, then dramatically in the 1970s and finally 1990s and 2000s Istanbul has become an unorganized, unplanned giant metropolis. In this framework, Istanbul's fastest transforming district, Beyoglu underwent through some big changes in economic, cultural and daily-life aspects. In this context, Beyoglu district which is a perfect example to observe the transformations that Turkish city went through between the years 1950 and 2010 and the influence of producer services during this transformation period. This research is aimed at analyzing the workplace geography of Beyoglu district in the period 1950-2011. Research focusing on; - recognition of sectoral assemblages that produces and reproduces economic and spatial change and transformation; - discovering the economic and spatial differentiation and segmentation which characterized by spatial shifts in years; - characterizing and monitoring the economic and spatial transformation processes by using policies, actions, and tools. The research analyzes the economic landscape of Beyoglu in the 20th century period with adopting a relational perspective. The research looks in detail to the characteristics and activity assemblages of economic structure of Beyoglu, spatial formations of change and transformation, and the effect of these all economic processes to the formation of the district and the city. |
| Keywords: | central business district; economic geography; urban change and transformation; Z13 Economic Sociology Economic Anthropology Social and Economic Stratification |
| Date: | 2014–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa14p1452&r=cwa |
| By: | World Bank |
| Keywords: | Finance and Financial Sector Development - Access to Finance Banks and Banking Reform Economic Theory and Research Private Sector Development - Emerging Markets Finance and Financial Sector Development - Debt Markets Macroeconomics and Economic Growth |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:20668&r=cwa |
| By: | World Bank Group |
| Keywords: | Finance and Financial Sector Development - Access to Finance Environmental Economics and Policies Finance and Financial Sector Development - Debt Markets Finance and Financial Sector Development - Currencies and Exchange Rates Banks and Banking Reform Environment |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:20674&r=cwa |