An evaluation of Turkey?s technology policy in the light of new developments in national technology policies

Among the crucial components of today?s economic power relations are the technological developments which have brought about a systemic intervention in the field of technology. In this respect, globally-leading powerful countries attach their technology and science policies in the heart of their national strategies. The internationalisation process of production has enabled technology transfer taking place under various forms to gain importance. While this process gives technology-producing central countries the opportunity to draw the legal framework of transfer via various supranational institutions, it also allows developing countries to utilise technological infrastructure of those countries in question and, in time, to produce their own technology. Meanwhile, it is apparent that the triumph of developing countries can and will come true solely by setting their own scientific and technological infrastructure.In Turkey, so far, numerous policy approaches have been adopted so as to gain national technological capability but not less problems have been encountered in practice. Coordination between technology policies and other economy policies could not be stabilised. Dating back to 1990s, although it is possible to witness the first attempts of drawing the legal and institutional framework of national innovation system, it will be much more realistic to state that Turkey is in her early stages of development when compared to developed countries. So as to make this process develop faster it seems inevitable to educate manpower for the preferential sector and technology, to increase the amount of the sources available in these areas, to implement necessary policies which would bring about efficiency in technology transfer, and to review the economy policies which have negative influences on investment settings and competition power. Furthermore, a politically interest-free `Ministry of Science and Technology? is indispensible, which would spread the innovation culture both in society and in political arena and would have the power of sanction in the implementation of the policies in question.Key Words: Evolutionary Economics, Technology Transfer, Technology Policies, National Innovation System.