Ulusal ve Uluslararası Sosyoloji ve Ekonomi Dergisi

Between Turkish Defense Industry and Economic Growth Analysis of Relationships

Levent AKSU — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The Turkish defense industry has achieved significant growth in recent years and has become an important actor in both meeting domestic demand and exports. The defense industry contributes to the Turkish economy through various channels in terms of technology development, foreign trade balance, employment and macroeconomic indicators. Turkey's defense industry has developed rapidly in recent years and has become one of the important components of the national economy. The sector, which was largely dependent on foreign sources in the early 2000s, has now reached a competitive position in the global defense market by increasing its localization rate to over 80%. In recent years, the export capacity of the defense industry has increased rapidly and Türkiye has become a strong supplier in the global market. Defense industry exports, which were 800 million dollars in 2010, reached 4.4 billion dollars in 2023, clearly demonstrating the sector's contribution to economic growth.

Today, the political and economic (in military terminology) center of power has shifted towards Eurasia. The 21st century will be the century of Asia. This region will have the "last word" with its underground and aboveground riches. If we think of the world as a seesaw, while Western states are falling, Eurasian countries are rising. The coming days will be the scene of this war in the world arena. In the coming period, there will be processes of balance of power formation and conflict. With the reflection of this on the economy, the footsteps of great chaos and serious crises will begin to be felt on a world scale. In this context, all kinds of R&D, innovation activities and nano-technological investments to be made for the creation and progress of a strong defense industry are very important and will be valuable in our ability to stand out strategically in the world.

In our study, Turkey's GNP, Economic Growth Rate, Defense Expenditures, Military Weapons Imports, Defense Industry to GNP Ratio data were used for the period covering the years 1960-2024. Unit Root Tests (ADF, P-P, KPSS), Granger Causality Test, VAR Causality (WALD) tests were used as tests. As a result of these analyses, the validity of Wagner and Keynesian Hypothesis was revealed. In other words, the principle that public expenditures and economic growth feed and increase each other emerged in our study. A bidirectional causality relationship has been found between defense industry expenditures and GNP, and it has been concluded that it affects and increases positively. In this context, Military Keynesian Approach, where defense expenditures increase economic growth, it has been determined that military arms imports have a negative effect on GNP (Economic Growth). When the Defense to GNP Ratio (logarithm taken) increases by one unit, it reduces GNP (logarithm taken) by 8.04. A one unit increase in the Economic Growth Rate (logarithm taken) increases GNP (logarithm taken) by 0.55. A one unit increase in Defense Industry Expenditures (logarithm taken) increases GNP (logarithm taken) by 48.29. A one unit increase in Military Weapons Imports (logarithm taken) reduces GNP (logarithm taken) by 0.05. Again, there is a causal relationship from Military Weapons imports to GNP. A causal relationship has been determined between the economic growth rate and the Amount of Defense Expenditures. A unidirectional causality relationship was found from the economic growth rate to Military Weapons Imports.

Can Gig Work Create Opportunities for the Economic Participation of Disadvantaged Groups? A Qualitative Study of Persons with Disabilities in Türkiye and Zimbabwe

Ezgi ÜNAL — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Gigwork is conceptualised as a new form of employment that has emerged from the rapid advancement of information technologies and the acceleration of globalisation. Driven by the impact of digitalisation on labour markets, it has expanded considerably, particularly with the widespread diffusion of remote and project-based working practices—a trend further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While this form of employment carries advantages such as additional income generation and a flexible working culture, it has also been associated with the concept of the precariat in some studies, due to income insecurity linked to the discontinuity of work and the inadequacy of social security provisions. This study, however, approaches gig work from a different perspective by seeking to answer whether it can serve as an opportunity for the economic participation of disadvantaged groups, particularly individuals with disabilities. Within this scope, the perceptions, motivations, and evaluations of a group of people with disabilities in Zimbabwe and Türkiye regarding gig work were analysed through discourse analysis, supported by existing debates and findings in the literature. The research concludes that gig work is appropriate business model for disadvantaged groups by providing supplementary income, mitigating workplace discrimination and stigmatisation, offering opportunities to showcase skills, and facilitating work-based rehabilitation. Nonetheless, gig work may adversely impact socio-economically disadvantaged groups due to job and income instability, absence of social security benefits, and the exacerbation of inequalities in access to information technologies.

Yapay Zekânın Sosyal Davranışlar Üzerindeki Etkisi: İnsan-Makine Etkileşiminin Sosyolojisi

Emrah ARĞIN — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study analyzes the transformative effects of artificial intelligence on social behaviors and human-machine interaction from an interdisciplinary perspective. Research findings reveal that algorithms reshape social relationships: behavioral manipulation on social media platforms (e.g., TikTok’s FYP algorithm) transforms traditional socialization dynamics, leading 73% of users to meet algorithm-suggested individuals in real life (Chen, Y., Zhang, R., & Xu, Z., 2021). Emotional attachments formed with social robots (Replika, PARO), however, yield pathological consequences; the "marriage" of 4,000 individuals in Japan to holographic entities (Vincent, J., 2018) heightens ethical concerns about the substitution of human relationships with technological simulacra.

Ethically, algorithmic bias and privacy erosion emerge as critical issues. As demonstrated by the COMPAS system, the 45% higher risk labeling of Black defendants compared to whites (Angwin, J., Larson, J., Mattu, S., & Kirchner, L., 2016) reflects the technological institutionalization of systemic inequalities. While 89% of users express data privacy concerns, their average sharing of personal data with 7.2 applications (Eurobarometer, 2022) exposes the digital addiction-privacy paradox. Labor market transformation, exemplified by projections of 20 million manufacturing jobs being overtaken by robots by 2030 (Oxford Economics, 2019), recontextualizes Marx’s theory of alienation.

Proposed solutions include:

A Transparency Constitution(Pasquale, F., 2015) to enable democratic oversight of algorithmic decision-making,
A human dignity-centered Techno-Social Contract(Floridi, L., 2018),
Digital literacy programs fostering critical awareness against behavioral manipulation.

In conclusion, the social implications of AI can only be coherently framed when evaluated within the human-society-technology dialectic, avoiding technological determinism. Humanity’s future hinges on positioning technology through an ethical-autonomous perspective rather than an instrumentalist one.