Fuzzy Analysis of the Relationship of Economic and Political Development and Income Inequality in Iran

This article has adopted a comparative and case oriented approach, employing fuzzy-set analysis in order to examine the causative conditions creating income inequality in the era over a sixty-four year period in Iran. These cases cover the six historical phases that were separated by changes in development policies. We utilized a theoretical framework that combined of theories of modernization, dependency and the theory of state that emphasized the nature of state as major agent of development and its relationship with society. According to the results, single necessary conditions analysis of income inequality in Iran has shown that economic development is the necessary condition for income equality while power and dependency of state are also necessary conditions of income inequality. However, democracy and the power of society were neither necessary nor sufficient for income equality. The configuration of these two conditions of democracy and the power of society is a sufficient condition and power of the state and society is necessary condition for income equality in Iran. Review of the configuration of causal paths indicates that there are two separate paths for present of income inequality in Iran. The fist path is a configuration path of the absence of economic development and state power along with dependency and the absence of democracy. The second path includes economic development, state power, dependency and the absence of democracy and civic society.