Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in the Measurement of Rural Poverty: The Case of Iran

Poverty reduction is one of the major challenges confronting mankind and a principal obstacle to well-being for a large proportion of the world’s population. New paradigms of development as advocated by Chambers and others focus strongly on poverty reduction. Poverty is increasingly recognised as a multifaceted concept that can be elucidated through both qualitative and quantitative analysis. In researching poverty it is desirable to recognise both the value position of researchers and the values of local people. This paper uses qualitative and quantitative data and considers both outsiders’ and insiders’ views through the use of participatory approaches in selected rural areas of Iran. A poverty index is constructed and validated in a six-stage process. On the basis of the findings, a number of recommendations are made about appropriate approaches to the investigation of poverty.     

The impact of financial sanctions: The case of Iran

This study provides a detailed analysis of the impact of financial sanctions on publicly traded companies. We consider the effect of imposing and lifting sanctions on the target country’s traded equities and examine the differences in the reaction of politically connected firms and those without such connections. The paper focuses on Iran due to (1) its sizable financial markets, (2) imposition of sanctions of varying severity and duration on private and state-owned companies, (3) the significant presence of politically connected firms in the stock market, and (4) the unique event of the 2015 nuclear deal, resulting in fairly rapid lifting of a sizable portion of imposed sanctions. We find that sanctions affect politically connected firms more than ordinary firms, have lasting negative effects on profitability ratios, and that politically connected firms stock prices bounce back more slowly after removal of sanctions. Firms targeted by financial sanctions decrease their leverage and increase their cash holding to manage their perceived increase in risk profile.     

Lineages of the Iranian Welfare State: Dual Institutionalism and Social Policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This article examines the relationship between welfare and state governance in Iran since the 1979 Revolution. It argues that the contemporary set of social welfare organizations in Iran arose as a corollary to post‐revolutionary state formation, particularly during the 1980–8 war with Iraq. The Revolution itself resulted in a process of ‘dual institutionalization’ where new revolutionary organizations appeared in tandem with the inherited bureaucracies of the Pahlavi Monarchy, and both sets of institutions were directed by the new regime towards social welfare in areas relatively untouched by the ancien régime. These institutions were locked in place by the exigencies of the long war that followed, and most have continued to the present. This is followed by a discussion of the main developmental outcomes of the past three decades in Iran in literacy, health and poverty. The article concludes by discussing how the successes and shortcomings of the Islamic Republic's welfare system are consequential for understanding broader developments in Iran today.     

回顾与前瞻:1947年以来的印度伊朗关系

印度与伊朗自1950年3月建立外交关系以来,由于在巴基斯坦、克什米尔、教派冲突、结盟与不结盟等问题上存在着严重分歧,使得印度伊朗关系的发展经历了艰难曲折的历程。面向21世纪,印度与伊朗于2001年确定建立友好合作的"战略伙伴关系",这固然有着共同的战略利益,但是,巴基斯坦阴影依然难以驱散,克什米尔问题的解决遥遥无期,伊斯兰意识形态仍然主导着伊朗外交,印度国内的教派冲突也将长期存在,因此,印伊"战略伙伴关系"的发展前景不容乐观。     

伊朗对抗美国的内缘资本与外向战略

波斯文明内核,伊斯兰精神气质的伊朗,独特的政治地缘,丰富的油气等资源增强了伊朗外交的国际资本。伊拉克萨达姆政权倒台以后,如何处理伊朗问题,特别是伊朗核问题,成为对美国及欧洲盟国的重要考验。伊朗强硬派“平民总统”内贾德执掌政权,伊朗与西方国家的关系充满变数,同时伊朗积极开展东方大国外交,对地区形势乃至大国关系都将产生重大影响。     

美以武力解决伊核问题的合法性与可行性

发展核武器虽符合伊朗致力于成为地区大国的战略逻辑,但受到国际国内压力,伊朗未必能够突破红线,军事打击伊朗难以具备足够的合情理性和合法性。伊朗核设施具有数量多、防攻击能力强等特点,其核能力趋于成熟,其民族国家建构亦比较成功,无论是定点清除,还是全面战争,均难以达到彻底解决伊核问题的目标。军事打击还可能导致石油市场崩溃和全球经济危机,并将遭到中俄等国家的强烈反对,美以不得不有所顾忌。尽管战争的可能性始终不能排除,但遏制伊朗以及提供延伸威慑已逐渐成为美国对伊政策的重点,美伊关系有可能陷入长期低烈度但可控的冲突。     

Escaping into the world of make‐up routines in Iran

Traditionally, Iranian women's use of dress and make‐up has been an arena – sometimes a battleground – for identity negotiation. The present study questions the current over‐emphasis on identity and the prevalent tendency to look for identity meanings in the use of hejab (veiling) and cosmetics. The results of fifteen interpretive in‐depth interviews with young adult women in Iran reveal that these individuals' make‐up practices are largely associated with a total immersion in the experiential, creative aspects of make‐up use and with ways to uplift their tired spirits in a monotonous environment. Make‐up routines provide these women with opportunities to escape from boredom and immerse themselves in the playful fantasies of the world of cosmetics. Despite facing various challenges, including frequent stigmatization on account of their use of make‐up, the informants in the study derive high levels of satisfaction from their make‐up practices. The study establishes that changing socio‐cultural dynamics give rise to new forms of consumption experiences in contemporary society and calls for further investigation of such experiences in women's everyday lives.     

伊朗的宗教地缘战略分析

伊朗宗教地缘战略是指伊朗积极利用宗教纽带构建以伊朗为中心、涵盖伊拉克、叙利亚、黎巴嫩以及其他什叶派居住地区的势力范围的战略谋划。伊朗的宗教地缘战略建立在宗教认同的基础之上,而非伊斯兰革命的意识形态上,虽引起了国际社会的不安,但具有防御性和理性特点。鲁哈尼时期,伊朗将会对其宗教地缘战略有所克制,但不会放弃。     

20世纪伊朗两次革命之比较

伊朗在20世纪发生了两次具有重大历史影响的革命:1905年宪政革命和1979年伊斯兰革命。本文从革命的领导者、同盟军、中坚力量、指导思想以及革命时期的国家制度、军队情况等六个方面,对这两场革命进行了比较分析,分别阐述了二者之间的异同之处。通过对两场革命诸要素的比较,可以看出后者呈现出许多新的内容,这体现了两次革命之间七十多年伊朗社会发展进程带来的社会结构的变化。     

The Most Important Skills an Urban Planner Needs In a Developing Country; The Case of Iran*

Differences in the context of developed vs. developing countries require different kinds of urban planning skills in each group. This paper intends to figure out the most important skills an urban planner should have in a developing country. A total of 341 questionnaires were filled by professionals, instructors, students, and graduates. The result shows that team work, research method and data collection, and technical skills are the most important skills at the undergraduate level, in Iran, while problem definition, analytical skills, and oral presentation are the most important ones at the graduate level. Managerial skills, at neither level, show any significance.