REFORMING TURKEY’S HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN ORDER TO ATTAIN HIGH INCOME, INNOVATION DRIVEN, INTELLECTUAL ECONOMY’ STATUS

Middle-income trap is a status of slowing down and stagnation in economic growth when countries reach middle-income levels. Countries have to restructure their economies fundamentally in order to get rid of this trap; and they restructure national resources, particularly human capital for higher education, technological production and innovation systems. Under realities of the global economic system innovation capacities of nations along with knowledge production have gained extra importance. Fresh perspectives share the view that competitiveness of national economies is founded on innovation; and formulating a national innovation policy especially in developing countries seems to be essential for economic growth and development. In this light a crucial role governments are expected to assume is reforming research institutions, technology transfer institutions and higher education systems in general. In this paper, I will analyze these perspectives with a specific focus on Turkey’s national innovation efforts and higher education system.    

___

  • Agenor, P.R., Canuto, O., Jelenic, M. (2012), "Avoiding Middle-Income Growth Traps," World Bank - Economic Premise, No: 98.
  • Aiyar, S., Duval, R. Puy, D., Wu, Y. & Zhang, L. (2013), “Growth Slowdowns and the Middle-Income Trap,” International Monetary Fund Working Paper, March 2013.
  • Byun, K. Jon, J.E., Dongbin, K., (2013), “Quest for Building World-class Universities in South Korea: Outcomes and Consequences”, Higher Education, 65, 645–659
  • Economist (2011), “Beware The Middle-İncome Trap: China’s Roaring Growth Cannot Last Indefinitely”, June 2011
  • Eurostat (2014), “Annual expenditure on public and private educational institutions per pupil/student,” Available at http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/
  • Felipe, J. Abdon, A., & Kumar, U. (2012), "Tracking the Middle Income Trap: What Is It, Who Is In It, and Why?" Levy Economics Institute Working Paper, No: 715.
  • Gill, I. & Kharas, H. (2007), “An East Asia Renaissance: Ideas For Economic Growth”, Washington DC: World Bank.
  • Gill, I. S., & Kharas, H. (2015). The middle-income trap turns ten.
  • Interbrand (2014), “Best Global Brands,” Available at: http://www.bestglobalbrands.com/2014/ranking/
  • Jon, J. & Chung H. (2014), STEM Report: Country comparisons: Republic of Korea, http://www.acola.org.au/PDF/SAF02Consultants/Consultant%20Report%20-%20Korea.pdf
  • Kharas, H. & Harinder, P. (2011), “What Is the Middle Income Trap, Why do Countries Fall into It, and How Can It Be Avoided?”, Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, 3(3), 281-289.
  • Kohli, H.A. & Mukherjee, N. (2011), “Potential Costs to Asia of the Middle Income Trap”, Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, 3(3), 291-311.
  • Kohli H.A., Szyf, Y.A., & Arnold, D. (2012), “Construction and Analysis of a Global GDP Growth Model for 185 Countries through 2050”, Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, 4(2), 91-153.
  • Li, Y.A., Whalley, J., Zhang, S. & Zhao, X. (2011), “The Higher Educational Transformation of China and Its Global Implications”, The World Economy, 34(4), 516-545.
  • Michalski, B., Kołodziej, G. & Piasecka, A. (2012) Organization and functioning of South Korean Higher Education System”., Adam Marszałek, Toruń (ed.), Is the 21st Century the Age of Asia? Deliberations on Culture and Education. Available at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232815596
  • Moon, M. & Kim, K. (2001), “A case of Korean Higher Education Reform: The Brain Korea 21 Project”, Asia Pacific Education Review, 2(2), 96-105.
  • Mowery, D. C. & Sampat, B.N. (2013), “Universities in National Innovation Systems,”. J. Fagerberg, D. C. Mowery & R. R. Nelson (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1-38.
  • OECD (2012), “International Comparisons,” Main Science and Technology Indicators, Available at:http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/scienceand-technology/main-science-and-technology-indicators/volume-2011/issue-2_msti-v2011-2-en-fr
  • Sharma, Y. (2014), What Do You Do with Millions of Extra Graduates?, BBC-News (1 Temmuz 2014): Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28062071
  • TÜBİTAK (2017), Girişimci ve Yenilikçi Üniversite Endeksi-2016, Available at: http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/tr/kurumsal/politikalar/icerikgirisimci-ve-yenilikci-universite-endeksi
  • UNDP (2014), Human Development Report-2014.
  • World Health Organization (2014), “Preventing suicide: A global imperative”, Available at: http://www.who.int/mental_health/suicideprevention/world_report_2014/en/
  • Wilson, W.T. (2014), “Beating the Middle-Income Trap in Southeast Asia,” Special Report No. 156, Heritage Foundation, 27 August 2014.
  • World Bank (2014), World Development Indicators 2014.