Arzu TEKTAS
Bogazici University – Center for Innovation and Competition-Based Studies, Department of International Trade, Professor, Bogazici University – Department of International Trade Hisar Kampus, Etiler, Istanbul, Turkey, Tel. +90 212 359 66 83 / +90 533 372 58 58 tektas@boun.edu.tr (corresponding author)Asli Deniz HELVACIOGLU
Bogazici University – Center for Innovation and Competition-Based Studies, Department of International Trade, Associate Professor, Bogazici University – Department of International Trade Hisar Kampus, Etiler, Istanbul, Turkey, Tel. +90 212 359 45 10 / +90 531 921 50 05 asli.helvacioglu@boun.edu.trAbdulmecit KARATAS
Istanbul Development Agency, Associate Professor, Havaalanı Kavşağı EGS Business Park Blokları B2 Blok Kat: 16 34149 Yeşilköy Bakırköy / Istanbul, Turkey, Tel. +90 212 468 34 00 abdulmecit.karatas@istka.org.trAbstract
Beyond GDP approach has become a milestone for the efforts that try to integrate social indicators to the studies that were previously tracing traditional macro-economic indicators like GDP, inflation and unemployment. It not only paved the way for novel indicators but also stimulated the establishment of new multi-dimensional indexes. The recently published European Union Regional Social Progress Index defines itself within this scope and aims to measure the regional social progress as a complement to traditional measures of economic progress. Our study gets the inspiration from this new index. The construct of the study is built upon the question whether non-economic regional indicators, particularly social, are capable of explaining the support for the incumbent in elections. This is one of the first studies integrating Beyond GDP approach to election studies by using the social indicator sets. It analyzes the impact of the social indicators on incumbent party votes for all of the 81 cities in the 2011 Turkish general elections. Our findings depict that social indicators affect the votes for incumbent as powerful as economic ones.
Keywords: Beyond GDP, Regional Social Indicators, Regional Social Progress Indicators, Elections, Incumbent Party, Turkey
JEL classification: R5, R11
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