Specificities of Iranian Social Policy in the Period of Islamic Governance
This article examines various aspects of the social welfare policies implemented in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. The new, Islamic form of government, reacting to conditions under the Shah’s regime, declared its primary goal to be support for the “disenfranchised” and the expansion of benefits from economic programs and privatizations to a wider segment of the population through the issuance of so-called “participation papers” and “justice shares.” Yet despite these efforts and the Islamic regime’s significant accomplishments in the field of education, a trend toward inequality among the population remains, as increasingly harsh sanctions have worsened the economic situation in the country. These difficult conditions only elevate the importance of social policy in preserving the public’s confidence in an Islamic form of governance