Abstract

Internal migration constitutes a fundamental structural phenomenon that profoundly shapes a country’s demographic configuration and regional economic order. While migration flows generate advantages for certain regions through the accumulation of human capital, the concentration of productive capacity, and enhanced economic dynamism, they simultaneously give rise to persistent disadvantages in other regions, including population decline, labor force contraction, and the weakening of economic activity. In this respect, internal migration plays a decisive role in the formation of regional economic disparities by influencing the spatial distribution of population, the regional structure of labor markets, patterns of production and consumption, and imbalances in resource allocation. Accordingly, the sustainability of internal migration at the regional level and a rigorous examination of its interaction with regional inequalities are of critical importance for the design of effective regional development policies. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to examine the relationship between interregional internal migration and regional economic inequalities in Türkiye over the period 2008–2020. Within this framework, the analysis focuses on how migration flows shape interregional economic differentiation and assesses the role of internal migration in the evolution of regional disparities. The findings indicate that internal migration in Türkiye is closely associated with regional economic inequalities and that migration dynamics during the period under consideration have contributed to the deepening of interregional economic differentials. These results underscore the need to address internal migration within a comprehensive regional and structural policy framework, taking into account its potential to both mitigate and exacerbate regional imbalances.

Key words: Regional Inequalities, Regional Economics, Turkish Economy, Sustainable Development. JEL Codes: R11, O18, Q01.

Article Language: EnglishTurkish