Abstract:

The simplicity of economic voting theory derives from its ability to link electoral choice with the economic performance of the incumbent party. It presents a system where the voters’ behavior is shaped with the actual or presumed economic gains. Most of the studies exploring economic voting provide a generic approach and frequently use indicators like GDP/capita, inflation, rate of income tax, export volume, provincial urbanization rate, unemployment rate and industrial growth rate as the main factors of influence on voting behavior. The economic determinants of Turkish voters choice is one of the topics which is widely studied by various scholars . These studies confirm that economic voting is one of the main factors for the electoral choice in Turkey. However, the assessment of the impact of city competitiveness on economic voting stands as an unexplored area even though competitiveness has been a critical issue in economic voting. Competitiveness can be designated as an overall indicator of economic well-being in which case compatible goods and services can be produced for international markets, high and sustainable income levels and employment potentials can be created coupled with scientific and technological innovations and consequently improved social progress.