Ist das deutsch-türkische Unternehmertum die Zukunft Deutschlands?

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2014-06-20

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Abstract

This thesis examines the evolution of the Turkish guest worker in Germany to the integrated Turkish-German business owner, through an analysis of the guest worker history within Germany, case studies of current successful Turkish-German business owners and entrepreneurs within the German economy, and evaluation of the current support network and availability of subsidies for Turkish business owners within Germany. With the increased globalization of the world and its economies, as well as the increased movement of labor across borders, countries have become increasingly diverse. A prime example is Germany. During the economic boom in postwar Germany from mid-1950s until the oil crisis in the early 1970s there was a severe domestic labor shortage, partially due to the construction of the Berlin Wall, separating East from West Germany. This led the West German government to sign bilateral agreements on labor recruitment with Italy (1955), Greece (1960), Spain (1960), Turkey (1961 and 1964), Morocco (1963), Portugal (1964), Tunisia (1965), and the former Yugoslavia (1968). Even though these agreements were signed between eight different countries and Germany, the highest number of guest workers came from Turkey. While I trace the economic development of the Turkish immigrants in Germany in general, I ultimately focus on case studies of particularly successful entrepreneurs. To further understand the evolution of Turkish guest workers in the 1960s into Turkish-German entrepreneurs and successful business owners, I examine six different success stories across various industries within Germany, such as retail, airlines, technology, consulting, and service industries. My subjects included: Kemal Şahin, Vural Öger, Nafia Alkan, Ismet Koyun, Avni, Faruk and Cevat Yerli, and Bülnet Uzuner. Through an analysis of these success stories against the backdrop of the changing economic landscape, I examine what Germany, its government as well as the people themselves, can do to foster this entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants and individuals with immigrant background. Historically, Germans have been reluctant to accept the notion that Germany is an immigrant country. In recent years, however, policy changes designed to make Germany a more inclusive, as well as supportive country, for immigrants, have been implemented. But much work remains to truly maximize the potential of these often unemployed or underemployed individuals, who have the ability to contribute significantly to the German economy.

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Keywords

Gastarbeiter, Anwerbeabkommen, Rückkehrhilfegesetz, Unternehmer, deutsch-türkisches Unternehmertum, Fördermittel, Migration

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