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"The Struggle for Development in Iran" Forthcoming from Stanford University Press

Book cover: Struggle for Development in Iran

The Struggle for Development in Iran is forthcoming from Stanford University Press in May of 2022.  The book draws on the work of the Stanford Iran 2040 research project. 

"This book provides a multidimensional analysis of Iran's struggle for development between 1970 and 2020, focusing on fundamentals, institutions, and socioeconomic trends. The past several decades in Iran have been a period of sluggish and noninclusive economic growth, ill-fated social engineering with an Islamic template, political repression, and extensive environmental degradation. The intellectual discourse surrounding the impediments of growth in Iran has been dominated by an exaggerated notion of the role of ideology, class struggles, imperialism, and historical contingencies, overlooking the profound impacts of institutions and fundamental socioeconomic trends.

This book aims to fill this gap using positive economics and data-driven analysis to cover a wide array of topics, such as governance, corruption, macroeconomy, population dynamics, labor, financial systems, energy, water scarcity, and food security. Illustrating clearly the complex interactions among different dimensions of Iran's development, this book will be essential for researchers, policy makers, and journalists."

Reviews

“A detailed multidisciplinary analysis of the many facets of Iran’s troubled economic history from the prism of data and reality, not illusion and ideological pieties. This is a must read for any student, scholar, and policy maker interested in Iran’s hitherto Sisyphean quest for economic development and political democracy.” — Abbas Milani, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University

“A devastating account of the economic crisis the country faces today, as a result of the poor governance and weak institutions. This volume’s wealth of empirical data is coupled with a dispassionate and informed analysis of the causes of present-day outcomes that will become a reference work for anyone interested in the future of Iran.” —Francis Fukuyama, author of Political Order and Political Decay

“A unique and superb contribution to the study of modern Iran that is rigorously researched, objectively written, and highly insightful. An invaluable resource for policy makers, scholars, and students of Iran.” — Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

 

About the authors

Pooya Azadi is Manager of the Stanford Iran 2040 Project.

Mohsen B. Mesgaran is Assistant Professor at University of California, Davis.

Matin Mirramezani is Co-Founder of Generation Lab and an economics student at Stanford University.