CHANGING DYNAMICS OF CAPITALISM AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FROM A WORLD-SYSTEMS THEORY PERSPECTIVE: THE CASE OF TÜRKİYE (1980-2000)

Abstract

The study focuses on the dynamics of capitalism, accumulation cycles, global relations, and interactions with developing countries. In this context, it analyzes the approaches of theorists such as Immanuel Wallerstein, Ernest Mandel, Giovanni Arrighi, Karl Polanyi, Max Weber, and Robert Gilpin within the framework of neoliberal and dependency theories. The study aims to examine these theoretical approaches based on the ‘World-Systems Theory’ and to evaluate the accumulation cycles of capitalism, relations with developing countries, and the results of neoliberal reforms in Türkiye between 1980 and 2000. Using content analysis methods, the changing roles of capital, labor, and inter-country relations are examined within an analytical framework. The study's findings indicate that the policies implemented in Türkiye and other developing countries during this period prioritized economic interests over socio-cultural adaptation, leading to negative outcomes within the framework of neoliberal globalization. Consequently, the study periodically addresses how the theorists’ views are supported or questioned through the developing countries with the Turkish example and how these views contribute to the global economy.

Keywords

• World Systems Theory
• Capitalism
• Developing Countries
• Türkiye
• Economic Transformation

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