Neoliberalism and the Triangular Employment in Iran: A critical Reflection

The concept of neoliberalism has shaken the world of critical social sciences. The emergence of a global cause for creating an anti-neoliberal front has reinforced the notion that the neoliberal juggernaut is about to annihilate all contextual and institutional differences. Through a detailed use of four critical approaches to the Iranian political economy, this study examines the capacities of the aforementioned global account of neoliberalism to explain the complexities of triangular employment. According to the results, the triangular employment in Iran is unequivocally market-oriented, but the seemingly aloof stance of the state is of more analytical value in this case. Here the Iranian state uses the element of free-market to play the role of a party who could enjoy the inexpensive services of "Sherkati-ha" while remains unaccountable about their neglected rights and inadequate compensations. Hence, the global hegemony of neoliberalism is partially relevant in the case of "Sherkati-ha”. Yet, it is the state that not only keeps the macro-power of policy-making in modalities of precarious employment but also saves financial resources to keep its parasitic networks of waste and rent-seeking alive.