The Pathology of investment attraction in special economic zones(Case study: Special Economic Zones of Mineral Industries Organization - IMIDRO)

Today, special economic zones are on the agenda of governments as one of the policy tools to attract investment, support production and develop exports and imports. Basically, these areas were created with the aim of attracting foreign direct investment and facilitating the process of transferring emerging technologies and supporting the production process and improving the export capability in the country. This issue is also true for the special economic zones affiliated to Iran's Mines and Mineral Industries Development and Modernization Organization (IMIDRO). In this article, an attempt was made to analyze the flow and process of attracting foreign and domestic direct investment in these regions based on the theoretical framework of extroversion. The findings of the research indicate that from the point of view of attracting foreign and domestic investment, the special economic zones active in the field of energy, such as the metal and mineral industries of the Persian Gulf and Parsian, have acted more effectively and successfully than the two regions of Kashan and Lamard. However, reasons such as the sanctions system, inattention to production, preference for local demand over accurate location and infrastructure assessment, and neglect of banking and insurance reforms to encourage investment have been among the reasons for the failure of these regions.