The Relationship of Wages and Exports for the Textile Industry: The Case from the United States

Year 2025, Issue: 86, 31 - 43, 25.10.2025

İbrahim Özaytürk

Abstract

As the 1980s progressed, emerging nations made efforts to embrace growth models that were centered on exports, progressively moving away from the economic model that relied on import substitution. The rising prominence of global trade has stimulated researchers' interest in manufacturing processes, the transfer of manufactured goods to other countries, and the ramifications for employment. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence that bilateral trade, a significant consequence of global liberalization, has on national wages. The data analyzed in this study is sourced from the textile product mills sector in the United States of America (USA) and covers the years 1987 to 2023. Within the scope of this investigation, the Johansen Cointegration Test (1992) was utilized to investigate the model that originates from the Cobb-Douglas manufacturing function. The study concluded that exports affect the labor force over time, and this effect is expected to grow. An investigation is conducted, and the results of that investigation are used to formulate a policy recommendation.

Keywords

International economics , Export , Labor force , Wage rates , Cobb-Douglas production function

Tekstil Endüstrisinde Ücretler ve İhracat İlişkisi: Amerika Birleşik Devletleri Örneği

Abstract

1980 ve sonrasında, ekonomik olarak gelişme göstermeye başlayan ülkelerin ithal ürün ikamesine dayanan ekonomik büyüme modelinden uzaklaştıkları ve ihracat odaklı büyüme modellerini benimsemeye başladıkları görülmektedir. Bu süreçte konuyla ilgilenen araştırmacıların küresel ticaretin artmasıyla birlikte, ülkelerin üretim süreçlerine, üretilen malların ihracatına ve ihracatın istihdam üzerindeki etkilerine daha fazla odaklandıkları anlaşılmaktadır. Bu ilginin artışına paralel olarak, küresel liberalleşmenin önemli bir sonucu olan ikili ticaretin ulusal ücretler üzerindeki etkisi de araştırmacıların ilgisini daha fazla çekmektedir. Buradan hareketle bu çalışma, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri (ABD) için önemli bir iş gücü kaynağı olan tekstil sektörünü, tekstil endüstrisindeki ihracatın yine aynı sektördeki ücretler üzerindeki etkisi araştırmaktadır. Çalışmada kullanılan veriler, ABD tekstil endüstrisine ait ve 1987'den 2023'e kadar olan yıllık verilerdir. Bu araştırma kapsamında, Cobb-Douglas üretim fonksiyonundan kullanılarak üretilen model, Johansen Eşbütünleşme Testi (1992) kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen analizin sonucunda, ihracatın bir süre boyunca işgücü üzerinde bir etkisi olduğu sonucuna varılmış ve bu etkinin ilerleyen yıllar itibariyle daha da belirginleşmeye devam edeceği düşünülmektedir. Bunun yanında, araştırmanın sonuçları bir politika önerisi oluşturmak içinde kullanılmıştır.

Keywords

Uluslararası ekonomi , İhracat , İşgücü , Ücretler , Cobb-Douglas üretim fonksiyonu

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