An analysis of the Iranian government's supportive policies toward the private sector against economic sanctions from the perspective of social responsibility (2011-2021).

Document Type : Political economy of Iran

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Public Policy, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The economic sanctions of the 2010s placed the Iranian economy and, consequently, the private sector, under severe developmental constraints. The present article, considering economic sanctions as an intervening variable, seeks to utilize available data, evidence, and analyses to delineate a clear picture of the government's performance in the 2010s in the realm of good governance and within the framework of social responsibility towards the private sector, thereby taking a step towards the reform and rethinking of supportive policies. Employing a qualitative research method based on the analysis of library resources, government documents, statistical data, and analytical reports, the study aims to examine the government's macro-policies during the 2010s and answer the following question: To what extent and with what quality has the government, within its social responsibility framework, been able to provide the necessary grounds for supporting the private sector?The research findings indicate that although the Iranian government moved towards supporting the private sector in line with its social responsibility, due to the short-term and reactive nature of the policies and the lack of a dynamic and flexible institutional and structural economic foundation in practice, it failed to play a sustainable role in enhancing the private sector's capabilities. This failure pertains to creating psychological security and building trust for investment, removing foreign trade restrictions, strengthening domestic purchasing power, and increasing the competitive capacity of private sector economic actors.The innovation of this research lies in its simultaneous focus on the two concepts of 'good governance' and 'state social responsibility' and its analysis of governmental policy performance within the temporal context of the 2010s—an integrated approach that has received scant attention in the scientific literature to date.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 30 April 2025
  • Revise Date: 16 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 17 September 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 May 2026

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