The Revolution and the Rural Poor

摘要: Thirty years on, there seems to be doubt as whether the Iranian Revolution of 1978 – 79 has fostered deep social change. A recent book by Farhad Nomani and Sohrab Behdad (2006) offers a perspective from left based on detailed review evidence changes in structure employment postrevolution Iran.1 It finds little change class and, its subtitle suggests, concludes that revolution did not matter. Thomas Friedman, no means an Iran expert, also offered very negative assessment “nation building enterprise,” calling it “an abject failure.”2 Others have called into question revolution’s promise eradicate poverty bring about prosperity equity. One can read Washington Post (false) claims late 2003 average incomes were only one-fourth their level before revolution,3 elsewhere reports increasing inequality.4 These overarching accounts economic stagnation are misleading. Although Iran’s progress since much desired, rising dire conditions highly exaggerated. In fact, after sharp drop 1980s, economy been growing steadily mid-1990s at 5 percent per year, capita 2008 fully caught up with prerevolution peak. As result, falling for past fifteen single digits several years.5 To sure, set lofty goals improving lot poor but eliminating inequities. Initially, postrevolutionary state was able reduce income inequality, reversing rise inequality had occurred just consequence oil boom