The Political Economy of Oil and its Impact on Social Development of Iran

The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of oil on Iranian social development with emphasis on urbanization and social mobility. According to research data, there is a relationship between increasing oil revenues on the one hand and social mobility and urbanization expansion (with comparative and comparative research approach) on the other. The research period ranges from the 1920s to the early 1990s. The research is mixed and quantitative (qualitative and qualitative) in terms of purpose, applied and descriptive in nature. This study uses library studies, and in particular, the examination of official documents. Based on research data and by considering disaster or resource curse theory, oil income as an independent variable has contributed to the expansion of urbanization and social mobility in Iran through government policies (the mediating variable), however, the overwhelming migration of cities, especially large cities. And metropolises have led to the emergence of suburbs. On the other hand, allocating oil revenues to cities has increased inequality between the city and the countryside and reduced social justice. Based on the results of this study, oil-rich countries can escape the curse of resources by properly managing oil revenues. The results of this paper can provide a model for endogenous development in oil-rich countries.