The population and economy of the area within the present-day borders of Turkey has consistently been among the largest in the developing world, yet there has been no authoritative economic history of Turkey until now. In Uneven Centuries, 艦evket Pamuk examines the economic growth and human development of Turkey over the past two hundred years.
Taking a comparative global perspective, Pamuk investigates Turkey鈥檚 economic history through four periods: the open economy during the nineteenth-century Ottoman era, the transition from empire to nation-state that spanned the two world wars and the Great Depression, the continued protectionism and import-substituting industrialization after World War II, and the neoliberal policies and the opening of the economy after 1980. Making use of indices of GDP per capita, trade, wages, health, and education, Pamuk argues that Turkey鈥檚 long-term economic trends cannot be explained only by immediate causes such as economic policies, rates of investment, productivity growth, and structural change.
Uneven Centuries offers a deeper analysis of the essential forces underlying Turkey鈥檚 development鈥攊ts institutions and their evolution鈥攖o make better sense of the country鈥檚 unique history and to provide important insights into the patterns of growth in developing countries during the past two centuries.
Awards and Recognition
- Winner of the British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize
艦evket Pamuk is professor of economics and economics history at Bogazi莽i University in Istanbul. His books include A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire and The Ottoman Empire and European Capitalism, 1820鈥�1913.
"Described as 鈥榯he first comprehensive history of the Turkish economy鈥�, Uneven Centuries has been widely acclaimed for its 鈥榬ich and original鈥� broad approach"鈥�Cornucopia
"Sevket Pamuk鈥檚 engaging book frames the evolution of the Turkish economy over two centuries, showing that historical developments under the Ottomans constitute an essential key to comprehending the path taken by modern Turkey."鈥擥iampaolo Conte, Journal of European Economic History
"[A] powerful analysis of how Turkey got into its present position."鈥擯aul Rivlin, Bustan: The Middle East Book Review
鈥淭he story of the economy and institutions of the Turkish Republic is often told as if there was a sharp rupture with the Ottoman era. The reality is much more complex, with many lines of continuity and the long shadow of the Ottoman past shaping many aspects of Turkish economic and political development. There is no better source that exposits these continuities and explains in what ways Turkey has changed and in what ways it has remained trapped by its past than this erudite, well-researched book. A must-read for anybody interested in Turkish economic history and the general institutional and economic problems of the developing world.鈥濃�擠aron Acemoglu, coauthor of Why Nations Fail
鈥淔rom the late Ottoman period to the contemporary Republican era, Turkey鈥檚 economic fortunes have fluctuated widely. There is no one better to tell this rich story than 艦evket Pamuk, the doyen of Turkish economic historians. Beyond providing a comprehensive statistical portrait of the last two centuries, Pamuk places Turkey鈥檚 experience in comparative perspective and links it to deeper institutional transformations. A major accomplishment, this book will be a standard reference for years to come.鈥濃�擠ani Rodrik, author of Straight Talk on Trade
鈥淚n his groundbreaking economic history of Turkey, 艦evket Pamuk analyzes the causes behind two centuries of uneven economic development鈥攃onflicting institutions that as they changed could simultaneously encourage growth but also hold it back.鈥濃�擯hilip T. Hoffman, author of Why Did Europe Conquer the World?
鈥溑瀍vket Pamuk鈥檚 brilliant analysis helps move discussions of Turkey鈥檚 economic performance away from narrowly conceived short-term concerns and puts them in a historically informed, long-term, and comparative perspective. Pamuk breaks free from the ideological models that constrained the studies of economic development in Turkey and similar places for generations. To say that this book is seminal would be an understatement. With its extraordinarily rich and original information, brilliant insights, sophisticated analysis, and admirably clear prose, Uneven Centuries will set the standard for studying the economic history of the non-Western world for many years to come.鈥濃�擱e艧at Kasaba, author of A Moveable Empire
