The Approach of Political Economy to the Construction and Functioning of the Middle Class in Post-Revolutionary Iran

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Dept. Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

2 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Available statistics show that countries have moved towards greater integration in economic globalization over the past three decades, and this process is occurring in most countries, but the trend of this movement is not the same for all countries, which indicates the asymmetrical integration of countries in globalization. The characteristics of this research also indicate that the Iranian economy is closed and unfree and is slowly moving towards an open economy and greater integration into the globalization of the economy, The reason for this movement is that the rentier structure of Iran's economy has emerged from the global economic structures, and therefore economic development and political decline has been created. As a result, reliance on windfall income from rent, especially oil, has affected the structure and functioning of the middle class after the revolution, confronting this class with political and economic challenges. The following article focuses on the question of what impact has rentier structure and asymmetric integration in economic globalization in Iran had on the structure and functioning of the middle class in Iran. The research hypothesis is also based on the fact that it seems that rentier structure and asymmetric integration of economic globalization have caused the gradual decline of the middle class in post-revolutionary Iran. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to describe the political-economic challenges of the middle class in the rentier state, which can lead to the dynamism and role of the middle class in the political-economic development of Iran. This research has a descriptive-analytical approach in terms of the documentary research method.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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International Political Economy Studies
Volume 7, Issue 2
December 2025
Pages 201-224

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 October 2024
  • Revise Date: 20 November 2024
  • Accept Date: 13 December 2024

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