Investigating the Dimensions of Economic Development in Iran Based on Designing Composite Indicators (CIs)

The present study seeks to examine the performance of Iran's macroeconomic indicators during the six economic development plans in order to compare and rank the achievements of the plans. Based on a fundamental revision of the 2010 United Nations Human Development Report (until 2019) and Guidelines on producing composite indicators (CIs) of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (2019), CIs Method (by designing 6 dimensions of development in the form of 24 variables from internal and external sources) has been used. The results of the study show that the first to fourth plans have been on the way to recovery, but the intensification of comprehensive US sanctions and in line with the currency war against Iran, the occurrence of sanctions against the Central Bank and sanctions on the purchase of oil from Iran in February 2012 (the first year of the Fifth Plan), has significantly reduced the National Socio-Economic Development Index (NSED) in 2012-13, so that the average of this index for the fifth plan is lower than the average of the first plan. Managing the conditions of sanctions and the regular implementation of the resistance economy strategy during the early Sixth Plan has strengthened this index, but the Corona Crisis Management can determine the more realistic position of the Sixth Plan. According to the results of Sensitivity Analysis, the fourth and third plans have been distinguished as the most successful development plans as well as the fifth and first plans with the weakest performance.