An Investigation of Income and Wage Inequality in Turkey Using Burgernomics

Abstract

This study delves into the multifaceted issue of inequality in Turkey, analyzing overall and regional disparities, as well as wage and gender inequalities in the labor market. Through the lens of the Big Mac Index, we investigate purchasing power and discover a decrease in regional inequality between 2002 and 2020. However, our research findings indicate a widening income gap between capitalists or the working rich and workers, particularly evident after 2015. Moreover, the wage gap between male and female white-collar workers has widened since the 2018 currency crisis, while the gap between male and female blue-collar workers has shown improvement.

Keywords: Burgernomics, Big Mac Index, Inequality, Turkey

JEL Classification: D31, J71