Industrial, Trade, and Employment Policies in Iran ― Towards a New Agenda

This volume explores Iran’s industrial and trade policy options for achieving sustainable, export-oriented, and pro-employment growth. The first part of the book discusses Iran’s economic and industrial development performance, as well as strategies for enhancing capabilities, fostering productive transformation, and developing employment that can result in faster and more inclusive economic growth. It also presents a case study on a leading manufacturing subsector—the automotive industry.

The book then offers a set of analyses concerning the country’s trade sector, including exchange rate policies, ways to connect to global markets, and accession to the World Trade Organization. In turn, the closing chapters investigate various aspects of Iran’s labor market and offer policy recommendations on the creation of productive jobs. Readers will learn about effective industrial, trade, and employment policies that can complement macroeconomic measures adopted by the government. As such, the book will appeal not only to scholars and policy-makers, but also to international investors seeking to understand various core aspects of Iran’s industrial and employment structures and trade regime. 

Pooya Alaedini is an Associate Professor of Social Planning at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran. Over the past decade, he has served as a consultant for several international development projects in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. He is a coeditor of Economic Welfare and Inequality in Iran: Developments since the Revolution (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) and coauthor of From Shelter to Regeneration: Slum Upgrading and Housing Policies in I.R. Iran (UDRO, 2014). His other publications include earlier monographs in Persian, a number of peer-reviewed articles in Persian and English, and several full-length reports produced for international organizations. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University, USA, as well as graduate degrees in Economics and Engineering.

Mohamad R. Razavi has taught at a number of universities and is currently a member of the Faculty of Management and Economics at the Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University in Tehran. He was Director of the Iranian Institute for Trade Studies and Research from 2015 to 2018. He formerly served as Vice President of the Iranian Small Industries and Industrial Estate Organization, where he initiated the Industrial Clusters and Technology Parks Programs, and on the Research Council of the Center for Science Policy Research, Iranian Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. He has led several high-impact research projects on industrial development and foreign investment in Iran, and has published in Persian and English. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University, USA.