Turks need to confidence once more: WB director

A degree of nervousness has emerged in Turkey in recent years in terms of engaging with the outside world, says the World Bank's country director for Turkey, Martin Raiser, noting that the nation needs to discover its confidence once more as part of its quest to become a high-income nation Turkey has lost some of its gung-ho attitude to the rest of the world in recent years and needs to rediscover its confidence vis-à-vis the world, according to World Bank Turkey country director Martin Raiser.

"I hope Turkey rediscovers its confidence and its positive approach to opening up because opening up has been of tremendous importance for Turkey's economic success," he said.

Some experts like to go to markets; some talk to taxi drivers. Do you have any special human dimension tools to get a sense about the economic situation?

We use our interactions to try to understand certain type of problems. For me, one of the most impressive sorts of direct encounters was with a lady we met in Nev?ehir.

She was in her mid-40s. She had never worked in her life until recently in part because her husband did not want her to leave the house. She described the process how her son-in-law went to her husband and said "father, let her go." And he eventually said OK.

She was so incredibly happy because she could buy presents for her grandchildren and she had a purpose in life. To me, this story encapsulates a lot of what's going on in Turkey. 

Modernization and the structural change process Turkey is going through is creating a very difficult discussion between generations. The older generation remembers how you respect your elders and do what they say. The younger generations that say "C'mon, I have my own life to live....