The Role of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises for Regional Development: the Case of Gaziantep

All of the countries whether developed or developing have the problem of regional imbalance. Landforms and distribution of national resources vary in terms of regions. Establishing infrastructures which provide an assessment of industrial potential is difficult in the regions where geographical conditions are not appropriate. Thus, investments head towards areas where infrastructures are ready. Therefore, the inter-regional imbalances arise. One of the most important functions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is its contribution to regional development. Unlike large-scale enterprises which are usually located around major cities, these businesses are located in all geographical areas of a country. Therefore, they contribute to a balanced allocation of economic activities between the country's regions. On the other hand, due to their labor-intensive structure, they provide increasing regional employment. In this study, we aimed to introduce the role of SMEs for regional development by using secondary data. First of all we will explain the definition and importance of regional development on the one hand, and the definition and importance of SMEs on the other hand. After that, we determine the situation and importance of Gaziantep in Turkey’s economy, the course of SMEs in Gaziantep, the development of SMEs’ export in Gaziantep and the contribution of SMEs to employment in Gaziantep. We will use tables to reveal them. Afterward, we will try to demonstrate the role of SMEs for regional development. Keywords: Development, Regional Development, Gaziantep, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)