Import dependence of export of Turkey: An evaluation on textile sector

Turkey has started to implement outward oriented growth policies in 1980. These policies led to a significant increase in export but brought about structural disturbances in the economy by causing to increase in import. Import dependence of export has increased with factors influencing the transformation of production into dependent on imports. This dependency causes serious current deficits in the country's economy. Because textile sector has an important export position in Turkey, the main purpose of this study is to examine import dependency of the sector export. To reveal this dependency, input-output tables published by TUIK are used. In this study, by means of matrix procured from input-output tables for the years of 1998, 2002, 2012 and import input-output tables, it is examined that relation of textile sector with other sectors with direct and total backward and forward linkage, import dependency of the sector with backward and forward linkage in import, import dependency of export with sectoral vertical specialization and total vertical specialization. The results show that the import dependency of textile sector increase by years examined. On the other hand, import dependency of the sector's exports decreased from 1998 to 2002 and increased from 2002 to 2012. Finally, import dependency of total export has increased by years examined.