THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ON INCOME INEQUALITY: A RESEARCH ON SOME DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Year 2025, Volume: 27 Issue: IERFM 2025 Özel Sayı, 19 - 36, 14.03.2025

Ömer Faruk Gültekin

https://doi.org/10.26468/trakyasobed.1517464

Abstract

Economic freedom is the realization of productive activities without any limitations or restrictions. Unrestricted activities can have a positive impact on the economic development processes of societies In this context, the aim of the study is to investigate whether factors such as economic freedom and its subcomponents, democracy coefficient, and per capita income level have a significant effect on income inequality.. The research conducted for 17 different countries, mostly selected from developing countries, including Turkey, and for the period 1995-2020. Estimation made by quantile regression and four different quantile interavls created. According to the results, the improvement in property rights had an increasing effect on income inequality for all quantile levels, while financial freedom and investment freedom had a decreasing effect on income inequality for different quantile groups. Increasing per capita income levels and democracy have also had the effect of reducing income inequality for different quantile groups.

Keywords

Economic Development, Income Inequality, Economic Freedom, Panel Data Analysis, Quantile Regression

EKONOMİK ÖZGÜRLÜK VE DEMOKRASİNİN GELİR EŞİTSİZLİĞİ ÜZERİNE ETKİSİ: GELİŞMEKTE OLAN BAZI ÜLKELER ÜZERİNE BİR ARAŞTIRMA

Abstract

Ekonomik özgürlük, üretim faaliyetlerinin herhangi bir sınırlama veya kısıtlama olmaksızın gerçekleştirilmesidir. Sınırlama olmaksızın gerçekleşen faaliyetlerin toplumların ekonomik gelişme süreçleri üzerine olumlu etki edebileceği düşünülebilir. Bu bağlamda ekonomik özgürlük ve alt bileşenleri, demokrasi katsayısı, kişi başına düşen gelir düzeyi gibi etmenlerin gelir eşitsizliği üzerinde anlamlı bir etkiye sahip olup olmadığını araştırmak çalışmanın amacıdır. Araştırma, çoğunluğu gelişmekte olan ülkelerden seçilmiş, Türkiye’nin de içinde bulunduğu 17 farklı ülke ve 1995-2020 dönemi için yapılmıştır. Kantil regresyon aracılığıyla tahmin yapılmıştır ve dört farklı kantil aralığı oluşturulmuştur. Sonuçlara göre, mülkiyet haklarındaki iyileşme tüm kantil düzeyleri için gelir eşitsizliğini artırıcı etki oluştururken, finansal özgürlük ve yatırım özgürlüğü farklı kantil grupları için gelir eşitsizliğini azaltıcı etki oluşturmuştur. Kişi başına düşen gelir düzeyi artışı ve demokrasi de farklı kantil grupları için gelir eşitsizliğini azaltıcı etki oluşturmuştur.

Keywords

Ekonomik Kalkınma, Gelir Eşitsizliği, Ekonomik Özgürlük, Panel Veri Analizi, Kantil Regresyon

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