Regional development policies and development agencies in Turkey

After confirmation of the European Union candidacy with the Helsinki Heads of State and Government Summit, Turkey leaved central planning and implement regional development policies, which has been used close to half a century, handed over to a new understanding. This new understanding suggests the inter-regional differences will be reduced by activating the local dynamics and in the region economy will experience a recovery. The implementation of the policy formulation is shown as a partnership of public-private-civil society organizations. In most countries, including Turkey, Development agency-like structures, was established many years ago. Core countries in the European Union, has been first countries to place Regional Development Agency System. Both the union member central countries and later member periphery countries built these institutions also faced criticism for the negative and for the positive results. All the candidate countries of the EU candidacy process adopted understanding of this policy of regional competitiveness and governance of capital reserves in the foreground. In this context, in most countries, these institutions created as two type built, which conducted as public and private sector entities. Development Agencies in Turkey since 2006 which is a reflection of these policies began to be established and 26 NUTS 2 level, 26 Development Agency was established. The Policies which is used after the planned period and in the planned period could not able to find a solution to problem of inter-regional differences and in the new process, solution of the problem transferred to these 26 agencies. These organizations? which targeted development of region with the element of competition, impact is unclear because of being not fully appropriate to the structure of Turkey and ignoring due to the regional potential. At this point, understanding the experiences and results in post-communist countries which dominated by central planning more than half a century, is important because of seeing rapid examination of the change easily.