This project focuses on factors that have shaped Iran’s strategies for economic diversification and resilience and examines the long-term socioeconomic consequences of such strategies. Economic diversification in this study is not limited to the traditional definition (i.e. the state’s strategy for diversifying economic activities away from the hydrocarbon sector). It looks beyond the country’s borders and captures diversification of trade and economic partnerships with Iran’s strategic allies. EU, 2021-2024
1. What are the main drivers of economic diversification in Iran? 2. How are the economic policies formulated and implemented? 3. What are the challenges, abilities, and aspirations for the IR’s economic diversification and resilience strategies, given the rising domestic economic pressure, the Middle East and North Africa region’s geopolitics, and international sanctions?
Contribution to International Research
DIVERSIRAN seeks to contribute in advancing scholarly knowledge on Iran's socio-economic, as well as political, environments. It sheds lights on economic policies, political decision making processes and their impact on the Iranian society.
Research Design and Methods
The project will adopt a mixed-method qualitative approach that is formed of three main methodological components: 1)systematic literature review; 2) qualitative content analysis; and 3) process tracing.
“Purification” of the higher education and “jihad of knowledge” have assisted the Iranian government in advancing its military, cyber-based, and nuclear capabilities. This paper reviews these strategies and evaluates their outcomes.
From the Gaza War to other regional conflicts and the lasting importance of oil, the Middle East and North Africa region remains pivotal for Europe. We present ten issues that will play a central role in the relationship between both regions in the year ahead.
This paper reviews the history of involvement of the two countries in these regions, and analyses how policies of confrontation in both countries have changed and developed over the different historical periods.
