Regional employment support programs and multidimensional poverty of youth in Turkey

Abstract

Poverty rates amongst youth are high even in the most developed countries in the world. The aim of alleviating poverty in many nations, therefore, remains a significant issue. To comprehend the risks posed by poverty, its dimension and the process by which it can become deeper must be identified and recognized. A broad consensus among policy makers, academic and other institutions is that poverty can be a mixture of various monetary and non-monetary components. These components can limit people’s capacity to achieve their ability and affect their well-being. Therefore, the socio-economic growth of a family and the increase in welfare of a country should be defined in the combination of both monetary and non-monetary aspects. In this study, we aim to estimate the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for the young and the general population in Turkey over the period 2006–2015. The results of the study show a significant reduction in youth poverty, especially in the Eastern part of the country in the period we explore. The second aim is to evaluate the effect of the 2012 Regional Investment Incentive Scheme on the MPI of the youth population. The findings suggest that the Regional Investment Incentive Scheme had a positive impact on the poverty level in the Eastern part of Turkey, which is the major region of the policy’s interest.