Productivity Impact of Infrastructure in Turkey, 1987–2006
Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 20, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of some key infrastructure measures in transportation, telecommunication, and electricity production sectors on labor productivity, using data on two-digit sectors for the Turkish economy for the years 1987–2006. We find both statistical and economic significance for the positive productivity impact of infrastructure on productivity growth, for road, port, and air transport, telecommunications, and electricity production. In the railway sector, only measures of actual freight carried are consistently and significantly associated with productivity growth, whereas other measures of infrastructure are insignificantly or inversely associated with productivity growth. Given that the railway-transport sector is the only infrastructure sector that remains closed to competition and private participation, this raises the issue of the significance of private sector involvement in infrastructure provision.
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Acknowledgments
J. W. Fedderke acknowledges the research support of Economic Research Southern Africa. The views expressed in this paper are the personal views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ministry of Customs and Trade, the Republic of Turkey.
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Published In
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 20 • Issue 3 • September 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 24, 2012
Accepted: Jun 4, 2013
Published online: Jun 6, 2013
Discussion open until: Jul 18, 2014
Published in print: Sep 1, 2014
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