The Effects of Public Investments and Fiscal Incentives in Free Port Cities on Economic Growth Dynamics at Local Level in Türkiye

In the study, from 2006 to 2019, in 11 cities with free zones and seaports in Türkiye, public investments and fiscal incentives were examined as economic growth dynamics at the local level. This is not only in a relational context; It is also put forward by considering the supportive and complementary context of investment expenditures to investments in the incentive system. A comparative empirical analysis is applied for 11 free port cities (Adana, Antalya, Bursa, İzmir, İstanbul, Kocaeli, Mersin, Rize, Samsun, Tekirdağ, Trabzon). Because port cities are at the centre of market relations (as functioning, processing, and mechanism) in the historical process, cities with free zones and seaports were specially selected for the study. Thus, in the empirical analysis applied through COPRAS, one of the multi-criteria decision-making methods, the current situation regarding the relationship between public investments and financial incentives and economic growth at the local level is determined in 11 free port cities. As a result of the findings, it was determined that while free port cities in Türkiye are expected to have a high growth potential, this is generally not valid at the local level.