Policy issues for Turkish entrepreneurs

Abstract

While it is becoming clear that there is a positive relationship between entrepreneurship and economic development, the topic of entrepreneurship in developing countries has been neglected in the literature. This paper assesses the problems and expectations of entrepreneurs in Turkey. Its main findings are as follows: Turkey underutilises youth and women entrepreneurial resources; there exists a large informal economy that tends to support self-employment rather than entrepreneurship per se; entrepreneurs do not have the kinds of ties with organisations that might be helpful when they are first starting out; entrepreneurs see as their main problems bureaucracy and unstable state policies. Based on these findings, the paper concludes with a policy discussion regarding the development of entrepreneurship in Turkey.