Critical Considerations on Economic Research in Iran: A Popper's Three World Theory Approach

This paper evaluates critically the economic articles in Iran. In order To achieve this objective, we collected 1285 articles and organized on the basis of Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classification. Statistical analysis clearly shows that 96% of papers are applied research and 99 percent use of econometric models based on causality method in the topics of "macroeconomic and monetary", "International Economics", "financial economics" and "Agriculture and the environment". The findings based on the analysis and implementation of the Three Worlds theory and Popper's Critical Thinking clearly indicate that the economic research economic range is limited due to the poverty of the world 2 and 3. Due to poverty "ecology of knowledge" World 2 and 3, the impact of economic graduates in the first world isn’t remarkable, the main reasons are the papers aren’t problem-oriented; mathematical formulation is target and conceptual analysis isn’t priority; and critical thinking has not place in economic research.