Turkey's foreign direct investments: Factors determining foreign direct investments of Turkish firms in the energy sector

The aim of this thesis to examine the recent progress of the Turkish firms' internationalization in the observed new markets, namely African region, and energy sector. Thus, this study attempts to understand Turkish firms' major motivations of foreign direct investments (FDIs) and implications of, if any, the policy elite's foreign economic policy preferences on Turkey's outward FDI. My findings revealed that the motivations specific to the companies are market diversification, ensuring energy security, the institutional environment in Turkey, capabilities specific to Turkish companies and cultural affinity. Besides, in the light of the literature on Turkey's foreign policy to- wards the African region, not only firm-level factors, and motivations but also the position of the government in promoting or supporting the outward FDI of Turkish firms have been empirically questioned.