Analysis of Social Capital Trends after Iran’s Islamic Revolution

Abstract

Contemporary Iran has undergone many small and large transformations at the structural, process and agency levels. This article attempts to present a picture of social relations in Iran after ther 1979 Revolution by using the construct of social capital and its ups and downs. The evidence presented in this article shows that at times conditions have improved and steps have been taken to strengthen social capital, for example in the years 1998–2005, 2010 and 2013, when moderate governments were in office, the conditions and atmosphere of optimism were strengthened and the fields of economics, politics and social interactions became more prosperous. However, none of these conditions have continued. Promises made have not been fulfilled and, more importantly, negating the past, ignoring the efforts made, not allowing accumulation, and not building the ladder of social progress are all contributors to the decline of social capital in Iran.

Key Words:

• Government
• Iran
• Justice
• Participation
• Social Capital
• Trust

Acknowledgements

I feel it is my duty to express my utmost gratitude to the respected professor, Dr. Mustafa Azkia of Tehran University, who provided the opportunity to compile and publish this article. Also, I am extremely grateful to Dr. Alireza Mohseni Tabrizi and Dr. Kush Gorji Sefat in the Department of Sociology at Tehran University. They read earlier versions of the manuscript, and their constructive comments were of tremendous help for improving it.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Mostefa Azkia & Ahmad Firousabadi (2006) The Role of Social Capital in the Creation of Rural Production Associations: A Case Study of the Karkheh Dam Watershed Basin, Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, 15(3), p. 296.

2 Emile Durkheim (2013) The Division of Labour in Society,’ trans. by W. D. Halls; ed. & intro. by S. Lukes, p. 178 (London: Palgrave Macmillan).

3 Alexis De Tocqueville ([1840]/2000) Democracy in America, trans., ed. & intro. by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, p. 486 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

4 Robert D. Putnam (2007) E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture, Scandinavian Political Studies, 30(2), p. 137.

5 Hilde Coffé & Benny Geys (2006) Community Heterogeneity: A Burden for the Creation of Social Capital? Social Science Quarterly, 87(5), p. 1055.

6 Behrooz Hadizonooz (2005) Poverty and inequality of income in Iran, Social Welfare Quarterly, 4(17), p. 187. [in Persian].

7 Ibid.

8 Robert D. Putnam and Kristin A. Goss (2002) Introduction, in: Robert D. Putnam (ed) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society, p. 18 (New York: Oxford University Press).

9 Hadi Zonooz, “Poverty and inequality of Income in Iran,” p. 187.

10 Organization of Management and Planning (2003) Economic Performance Report of the Third Program, p. 16 (Tehran: Management and Planning Organization Press) [In Persian].

11 Abdolmohammad Kazemipour and & Mohsen Goodarzi (2022) The Decline of Community in Iran: A Chronological Story, Social Welfare Quarterly, 22(48), p. 289 [in Persian].

12 Statistical Center of Iran (2020) Statistical Yearbook (Tehran: Office of Publications and Information) [in Persian].

13 Governance School of Shahid Beheshti (2019) The main issues of non-governmental organizations in the country, p. 8 (Tehran: Governance School of Shahid Beheshti press) [In Persian].

14 Alireza Rahimikia and Asghar Eftekhari (2020) A comparative study of the approach of the 8th and 9th governments of the Islamic Republic to cultural and social non-governmental organizations, Islamic World Political Research Quarterly, 10(1), p. 45 [In Persian].

15 Davood Behbodhi, Hossain Asgharpoor, Franak Bastan and Yazdan Saif (2013) The effect of oil revenues on social capital in Iran, Economic Research Quarterly (sustainable growth and development), 13(3), p. 121. [In Persian].

16 Abolghasem Mahdavi and Hamid Azizmohamadlo (2016) Social capital and industrial development in Iran, p. 51 (Tehran: Ney Press) [In Persian].

17 Robet Wuthnow(2002) The United States: Bridging the Privileged and the Marginalized? in: Robert D. Putnam (ed) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society, p. 101 (New York: Oxford University Press).

18 See further, Richard Nephew (2017) The Art of Sanctions: A View from the Field (New York: Columbia University Press).

19 The balance measure ranges from 100 (if all respondents answer “very great”) to -100 (if all respondents answer “very little”) (Bo Rothstein (2005) Social Traps and the Problem of Trust (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)).

20 Pamela Paxton and Robert W. Ressler (2018) Trust and Participation in Associations in: Eric M. Uslaner (ed) Social and Political Trust, p. 151 (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

21 See further, Peter B. Evans (1995) Embedded Autonomy: States and Industrial Transformation (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).

22 Abdolmohammad Kazemipour (2004) Social capital in Iran: Secondary Analysis Surveys 1974 and 2003, p. 93. (Tehran: Office National Plans).