Threats of Rentierism in the Political Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Nowadays, the importance of oil and the considerable wealth of its sale is no secret to anyone, since the wealth had always social, economic, cultural and political consequences in the process of moving toward development (in all its dimensions) in the exporting countries of this God-given source, so-called rentier states. This important issue, in turn, doubles the necessity of investigating the implications of the process and its impact on the process of moving toward development dimensions, given the socio-political conditions associated with the states in these countries. Iran’s economy has relied on oil wealth for many years, and that oil economy has always had some functions in the country’s development path. Thus, this study attempts to investigate the threats of rentierism and political development of the Islamic Republic of Iran by a Delphi method. According to the results, the major threats of rentierism in the political development of the Islamic Republic of Iran can be a lack of seriousness in collecting taxation from the people versus a lack of the state accountability to the nation, concentration of the major revenue sources in the hands of the state, and nonexistence of independent social groups, independence of the state from society, widespread intervention of foreign countries, a decline in national security and a lack of engagement with the global economy.