Subsidized capital flows have made a major contribution to the recovery of the Turkish economy from the acute balance of payments crisis of the late 1970s. The inflow of foreign capital on a substantial scale has facilitated rapid growth in imports of essential raw materials and investment goods which, in turn, has been instrumental in sustaining a comparatively high rate of economic growth.

A balanced account, however, needs to take into consideration the negative side effects associated with subsidized credits. Subsidized capital inflows have resulted in overborrowing and consequently in overexpansion of the public sector, particularly during the post-1984 phase. A structural disequilibrium has developed, in the sense that the majority of medium- and long-term capital inflows has been directed to the public sector, and within the public sector, primarily to infrastructure projects. The private sector has been able to borrow mainly on a short-term basis, to satisfy working ...