Uluslararası Politik Ekonomi Açısından Dördüncü Sanayi- Endüstri Devrimi’nin Etkileri ve Türkiye

Abstract

First Industrial Revolution, which is a product of steam engines invention in 18th century, along withthe spontaneous increase of scientific studies has caused increases in technological developments. Thiscondition, after passing different stages till reaching 2000’s, has paved the way for the Fourth IndustrialRevolution. The main difference between the so-called Industry 4.0 and the other revolutions is the quickexpansion of technological developments. Moreover, Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is also calledIndustry 4.0, causes serious paradigm changes in governments, businesses and even in all segmentsof the society. Production occurs with the interaction of different technologies and automation of thesystem in the production improves each day. This automation has been made possible through “cyber– physical systems”, “internet of things”, and “internet of services” terms, thus causing a continuousdecline in the demand for human labor in the production process. Continuous decline in the demandfor human labor along with wide-spreading automation, has emerged as a subject matter that needsto be evaluated in the framework of international political economy because eastern countries thatattract foreign direct investments through their cheap labor will probably bring subtle problems inthe global economy if these investments are withdrawn. Furthermore, countries that have effectivelyimplemented industry 4.0 implementations are likely to gain significant competitive advantages in theglobal economy, and these advantages will be further enhanced by improved developments. Turkey,having less labor force as compared to the western countries and aiming to enter G10 countries, needsdesperately to keep up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution era in order to reach this goal. Thus, thisstudy through explaining the Industry 4.0 period evaluates its impact on global economy and Turkey.