Presentation Transcript

1. Iran Public Policy

   Michael Katz
2. Welfare State Welfare programs are managed by Public agencies Parastatal organizations known as bonyads Private non-governmental organizations. Although Iran does not offer universal social protection, in 1996, the Iranian Center for Statistics estimated that more than 73% of the Iranian population was covered by social security.
3. Bonyads Bonyads Over 120 tax-exempt organizations that receive subsidies and religious donations. They answer directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran and control over 20% of GDP. Examples: MostazafanFoundation of Islamic Revolution BonyadShahidvaOmur-e Janbazan Housing Foundation
4. Civil Rights/Liberties Restriction Derived from… Sharia (Indirectly) Sharia Restrictions on freedom of speech and the press (including the imprisonment of journalists) Restrictions on freedom of religion and gender equality in the Islamic Republic's Constitution
5. Human Rights Judiciary Practices Under Sharia Law Harsh penalties for crimes Ex: Thievery= Amputated Limbs Punishment of "victimless crimes" such as fornication and homosexuality Execution of offenders under 18 years of age
6. Development The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living, and quality of life for countries worldwide. http://countryeconomy.com/hdi/iran
7. Gender Inequality The language of Article 21 of the Constitution: “The government must…accomplish the following goals:1) Create a favorable environment for the development of a woman's personality and the restoration of her rights, both the material and intellectual;2) The protection of mothers, particularly during pregnancy and child-rearing, and the protection of children without guardians;”
8. Gender Inequality Education In 2012, Iranian universities restricted dozens of academic programs to “single-gender” Female students will be excluded from a broad range of studies including… English literature, archaeology, nuclear physics, computer science, electrical engineering, and business management. “Honor” Killings/Punishment of Offenders
9. Gender Inequality
10. Environment Water At current rates of overuse, twelve of Iran’s thirty-one provinces will exhaust their groundwater reserves within the next 50 years. Air Pollution The World Bank estimates the result of deaths caused by air pollution on the economy at $640 million, 0.57 percent of GDP. A report by the United Nations Environment Programmeranked Iran at 117 among 133 countries in terms of environmental indexes.
11. Brain Drain A report by the International Monetary Fund in 2009 indicated that Iran tops the list of countries losing their academic elite, with an annual loss of 150,000 to 180,000 specialists. It's equivalent to a capital loss of $50 billion.
12. Brain Drain Cont. Iran’s Countermeasures: Establishing work and research facilities for academics and highly skilled workers The Iran National Science Foundation Establishing welfare institutions for Iranians in STEM Iran National Geniuses foundation Introduction of the Graduate Record Bill
13. Emigration
14. Domestic Policy The government of Iran every five years enacts a Five Year Development Plan with goals based for Economic Social Politics
15. Domestic Policy: Economic Highlights Sustainable and vibrant economic growth at a rate of at least 8% of GDP (2007: 7.8%, Current: 1.8%) Improving export development, particularly in the high tech service sector, to reduce non-oil balance of trade and increase trade in services.
16. Domestic Policy: Social Highlights Commitment to developing exercise and supporting the spread of tourism, emphasizing pilgrimages. “Strengthening the institution of the family and the position of women therein and in the social sphere, and fulfilling the rights of women under sharia and law in all fields, with particular attention to their constructive role.”
17. Domestic Policy: Political Highlights “Supporting legitimate freedoms and preserving the nation’s basic rights.” Increasing the presence and participation of the people in the political, social, economic, and cultural fields. Increasing the public’s role in popular intelligence with pursuing anti-security activities.
18. Foreign Policy Iranians have traditionally been highly sensitive to foreign interference in their country due to events including…. The Anglo-Soviet Russian Invasion of Iran during World War I, Aug.-Sept. 1941 The Tobacco Concession In 1890, Nasir al-Din Shah granted a concession to the British for a full monopoly over the production, sale, and export of tobacco for fifty years. The CIA and MI6 plot and aid in the coup to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq (August 1953)
19. Foreign Policy Relationships with other regions and countries… Iraq Turbulent since the Iran-Iraq War (1980s). Relations have improved since the fall Hussein in 2003. NATO Iran held informal talks with NATO in mid-March 2009, when NATO negotiator met Iran's ambassador to the European Union Israel Iran–Israel relations shifted with the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini: from close friendship, in the era of the Pahlavi dynasty, to hostility. Both countries have severed their diplomatic and commercial ties with each other. Iranian government does not recognise Israeli government
20. Nuclear Policy of Iran The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States After the 1979 revolution, the nuclear weapons research program was disbanded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1902–1989), who considered such weapons forbidden under Muslim ethics Iran admitted in 2007 that it restarted its Nuclear Program in the 1990s, but “not” for nuclear weapons. In 2012, U.S. intelligence agencies reported that Iran was pursuing research that could enable it to produce nuclear weapons
21. Nuclear Program
22. Nuclear Program
23. Questions