Innovative and Competitive Structure of Regional Economies in Turkey

Regional development theories have experienced a transition from Keynesian state‐led economic development models to development based on public–private partnerships, innovation, industrial districts, etc. With the increasing concern for innovative milieu, products, process, organizational, and institutional innovations have assumed an important place in regional development policies. All these regional development paradigms have formed the basis of the initiation of a new process in regional development called the new regionalism, which includes cumulative efforts to revitalize local economic growth. In this paper, we identify technological levels of 26 NUTS 2‐level regions according to the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD)'s classification. Then, we develop an innovation and competitiveness index for Turkey by employing principal component analysis. In conclusion, we formulate some workable policy solutions and suggestions for regional economies in Turkey. According to the results, Istanbul is the most innovative and competitive region in Turkey. Ankara is becoming a regional knowledge cluster, thanks to its strong R&D infrastructure and highly qualified researchers.     

Impact of Accessibility and Knowledge Creation on Local and Regional Development in Turkey

One of the fundamental aspects of the economic and social viability of the local and regional areas of Turkey is the degree to which they have access to the wider national economic and social system. Accessibility is, therefore, of major social, economic and political significance in Turkey and it directly affects Turkey's regional growth and the quality of life in local communities. However, the importance of the economic and social viability of the communities is increasingly complicated in the face of rapid global economic recession. It is argued that countries need to develop knowledge economies to compete successfully as knowledge is a critical factor for growth. This paper integrates accessibility and the importance of knowledge creation in understanding local and regional economic development. This empirical study has shown that although there is a high correlation between the accessibility index and the population figures of Turkey, accessibility to knowledge differs across Turkish provinces.     

Modelling Local and Regional Economic Development in Turkey: A “Curate's Egg”

This paper explores and unpacks the nature of the processes shaping regional economic growth in Turkey using an econometric modelling strategy. Existing empirical research in this field has focussed on regions in economically advanced and technologically innovative economies. As a consequence, the broader picture of the dynamics of regional development in less developed countries, particularly its social and political origins and the overall changes in regional inequality, has remained elusive and less clear. In this study, a set of econometric models is developed to explore the validity of a range of theoretical propositions in explaining the trajectories of regional economic change in Turkey between 2004 and 2008. Growth is calibrated in terms of employment and changing rates of unemployment in the chosen time period in the 81 provinces of Turkey. The results of the study explain that implications of the current local and regional economic development theories are a “Curate's Egg”—good in parts—because these theories are only partially relevant in the Turkish context.     

Association between growth habit and persistence in red clover

Summary Three double-cut red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) varieties: Prosper I, Florex, and Tristan each with two different seedlots were space-planted in a field. The total number of plants established for each seedlot was about 900. In the seedling year, plants were classified into five growth types according to rosette development and flower production. In the fall of the third year 14% of the rosette-forming, non-flowering Type 1 plants were alive; 8–11% of the intermediate types survived; and only 2% of the nonrosette-forming, profusely flowering Type 5 plants remained growing. The non-flowering class (Types 1 and 2) persisted better than the flowering class (Types 3, 4, and 5). This difference in persistence was similar for all three varieties regardless of seed source. The two flowering classes, in the production years, had the same proportion of the most vigorous plants. The most vigorous plants of the non-flowering class had the same frequency distribution of seed yield as those of the non-flowering class. In conclusion, the flowering response can be used as a selection criterion for persistent plants; and plants not flowering in the seedling year can attain a forage and seed yield as high as flowering plants in the production years. Screening for non-flowering plants can be carried out at the seedling stage in the greenhouse before seedlings are transplanted to the field.Contribution No. 520, from the Charlottetown Research Station, Agriculture Canada, Prince Edward Island, Canada.     

Indirect selection for persistence and seed yield in large-leaved white clover

High persistence and seed yield are important targets in white clover breeding but their assessment is expensive. The efficiency of indirect selection for these traits performed on characters recorded during a medium-term dry matter (DM) yield evaluation was verified for large leaved populations in separate experiments for medium-term (three-year) and long-term (fourth and fifth year) DM yield (Trial 1) and seed yield (Trial 2). The best results were provided by stolon density observed at the end of the third cropping year for prediction of long-term yield, and by the product of number of heads times number of florets per head assessed prior to mowing in Trial 1 for prediction of seed yield in Trial 2. Indirect selection was about as efficient as direct selection in these cases. Predictions of persistence from three-year or third year DM yield, and seed yield from single seed yield components in Trial 1 were less accurate.     

Services in Regional Employment Change

This article examines the role of services in regional employment change in Illinois from 1972–87. The approach applies recent advances in time-series analysis to investigate both the long-term and short-term relationship among employment in three sectors: goods production, export-potential services, and local services. The results indicate that there is not a long-term relation among these variables, i.e., that they do not move together in the long run. In the short term, the evidence is that employment in the service sectors follows employment change in goods production, although the response persists for only six months. The results suggest that a policy of targeting export-potential services is not likely to produce sustained employment growth in the other sectors.     

Productivity,persistence and traits related to drought tolerance in smooth bromegrass

This study was conducted to evaluate drought tolerance and persistence in a germplasm of smooth bromegrass and association of forage productivity with different traits. Thirty‐six genotypes of smooth bromegrass were clonally propagated and evaluated under two soil moisture environments for three years (2013–2015). High genotypic variation was observed among genotypes for all the measured traits. Drought stress decreased mean values for traits related to productivity. Also, the long‐term stress for three years reduced the persistence of plants. Results indicated that indirect selection based on components of forage yield, which had high heritability and high correlation with yield, would be more effective to improve drought tolerance in this germplasm. The results of principal component analysis showed that there was a negative relationship between phenological traits with the persistence‐related traits and yield production. This suggests that selection for earliness may indirectly promote persistent genotypes. The results showed that some Hungarian genotypes are valuable gene sources for persistence. The most persistent genotypes from both groups (Iranian and foreign) were identified using the biplot method. These genotypes may be useful for the development of populations for future studies.     

不同性别闽南火鸡生长模型的拟合与分析

为了解闽南火鸡的生长发育规律,对不同性别火鸡生长曲线选择较为适宜的拟合方程,比较公、母火鸡生长模式差异。本研究运用Logistic、Gompertz和Von Bertalanffy 3种非线性生长模型对不同性别的福建闽南火鸡0~8月龄体重生长数据进行曲线拟合和分析。结果表明：3种模型均能较好的模拟闽南火鸡的生长曲线,拟合度(R2)均达0.992以上,其中以Gompertz生长曲线拟合效果最佳,公、母火鸡拟合度均为0.997;公、母火鸡的拐点月龄分别为4.26、2.63月,拐点体重分别为2799.40、1266.67 g,最大月增重分别为929.40、587.73 g。利用 Gompertz 生长曲线拟合闽南火鸡各种指标能够揭示其生长规律,较好地掌握不同性别闽南火鸡生长过程的特性,结果为确定不同时期饲料最佳用量、实施科学的饲养管理提供参考信息。     

灰色局势决策在水稻区试中的应用

以1999年宁夏水稻区域试验晚熟组的结果为资料，根据灰色系统理论中的灰色局势决策方法，并对各参试水稻品种的10个农艺及品质性赋以权重，得到加权灰色决策综合效果矩阵。依灰色局势决策的原则，对5个参试品种在5个参试点的综合表现进行了分析评价。结果表明：利用灰色局势决策方法对各参试品种进行综合评价，是为品种审定提供了一种较客观的量化分析方法。     

品种区试常见问题浅析

农作物品种区试质量的好坏，关系到品种能否通过审定、劣种能否被淘汰，关系到区试审定工作的科学性、公正性、严肃性。因此，很有必要全面提高区试质量。提高区试质量涉及的内容很多，下面是笔者根据多年实践，归纳了区试实施过程中一些应该注意的细节问题，供同仁参考。     

我国小麦区域试验中的问题与对策

通过对"2007~2008年山东省小麦区域试验年报"的分析,发现在区域试验中存在着承试点技术水平高低不齐,参试品种过多,承试点的积极性和重视程度不高,上报产量有虚假成分等影响区域试验质量的问题。就如何解决这些问题,提出了一些建议。认为应当建立稳定的标准化区域试验站及网络,建立科学的试验质量考评指标和完善奖励机制,加强承试人员的职业道德培养和责任意识教育及技术培训,改进试验设计等措施,严格参试品种标准,适当控制参试品种数量,提高试验质量。以充分发挥区域试验选拔品种、衔接作物育种与农业生产的桥梁和纽带作用,促进我国农业生产。