Privatization in Iran

In an educational-research project that began in the spring of 2001 and continued until the fall of 2009, the Institute for Humanities Research and Development aimed to address intellectual needs and improve reliable study resources in the field of humanities and social sciences by publishing the specialized quarterly Culture and Thought. Each issue of this quarterly, with a dedicated editor, presented a research dossier on a specific topic comprising ten authored and translated articles to its audience. The main goal of publishing this quarterly was to discuss the pressing challenges in Iranian society and offer practical and theoretical solutions in this arena; thus, even more than a decade after its cessation, the published discussions and articles remain a valuable reference for researchers. Consequently, the previous editions of the journal have been republished as a book to facilitate access to its content for enthusiasts. The book “Privatization in Iran” is actually the seventeenth issue of the Culture and Thought quarterly, published in the spring of 2006 under the editorship of Dr. Ahmad Midari, focusing on the issues and challenges of privatization in Iran. The topic of privatization, which was introduced during the first administration of Hashemi Rafsanjani in Iran’s governance environment, has consistently faced many criticisms and challenges, some of which still persist. The dichotomy between “transferring state-owned companies to the private sector” or “removing obstacles for the private sector to develop” remains one of the most important discussions in the growth of the private sector. The articles in this book address these discussions and other issues related to privatization, endeavoring to clearly define the concept and examine its emergence in Iran’s political-economic system, clarify the complexities associated with privatization, and explain how it operates, while offering well-considered opinions about this phenomenon. Reading this book can be very useful and enjoyable for all students and enthusiasts of the humanities.