The empirical analysis given in Annex 1.A1 shows that the trade channel can largely
explain the massive GDP contraction of close to 14% from peak to trough. This suggests the
relatively high importance of foreign demand in explaining domestic developments
despite the relatively low share of exports in GDP (around 25% in constant prices). The high
sensitivity is evident in international comparison. The initial impact of the crisis on Turkey,
as measured by a decline in the GDP level between the beginning of 2008 and mid-2009,
was the biggest among the OECD countries, while the export decline was close to the OECD
average (Figure 1.1) and Turkey did not experience domestic financial turmoil.
The high sensitivity of output to the foreign demand shock can be partially traced to
confidence effects. The collapse of business confidence in Turkey was much larger and
more abrupt than in several advanced and emerging OECD economies (Figure 1.1). This,
together with the fall in foreign demand, has likely contributed to the significant decline in
investment (nearly 30% from peak to trough, which was one of the largest declines in the
OECD). Similarly, consumer confidence sapped, causing a very large consumption decline