The Features of Ideal Demographic Policy-making in Iran

The present paper classifies the views about "population growth" into three approaches of "population growth as an increase in the number seekers welfare", "population growth as an increase in manpower to contribute to development", and "population growth as an increase in the number of the Shia and Muslims". Then a kind of comparative-historical study is made to formulate an ideal demographic policy-making in Iran. Therefore, the main parts of this paper include a brief review of the existing approaches to demographic policy-making in such countries as England, India, Turkey, the Occupied Palestine and Lebanon; a historical review of demographic policies adopted after the victory of Islamic revolution from 1357 to 1384 (1978-2005); and a review of the reasons of failure of the reformative approach of government in the ninth and tenth terms with regard to other policies which have to do with the issue of higher education policies, macro-economic policies.. .. The research findings are underlined with emphasis on the following contradictory statements: 1- Iran's population should increase; 2- the population of Capital should decrease; 3- decentralization policy has failed.