The Empowerment Status of Nomadic Communities in Iran's First through Seventh Development Plans

The investigation and evaluation of development plans is a common scientific method through which one can understand the aims, approaches, and underlying concepts of these plans. Considering the significant role of such plans in the growth and development processes of countries, particularly in promoting the sustainability and prosperity of nomadic communities, this study aims to investigate the regulations and laws governing these plans concerning the empowerment of Iran's nomadic community from the period of the Islamic Revolution to the present. The method employed in this paper is based on documentary approaches that examine government policies in development plans related to the empowerment of nomadic communities. This investigation utilizes two planning approaches: technology-based rational planning and a communicative and participatory approach. The results indicate a lack of coordination between policy and implementation, a predominance of up-down and non-participatory approaches in the development plans, and the inefficiency of empowerment methods as the primary findings of this paper. The study recommends a reevaluation of government policies outlined in the nomadic development plans. This should involve the selection of more suitable social and economic policies, the adoption of effective empowerment methods, and the enforcement of existing laws within these plans.