Rising inequality sparked Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and like all popular revolutions the Islamic Republic espoused economic justice as its main objective. 

The fact that four decades later debate over poverty and inequality dominates Iran’s political economy suggests that the revolution has so far failed in achieving this objective and the revolutionaries remain divided as to how to move toward a more egalitarian society.  In this talk I review the evidence on inequalities in income, education, and gender since the 1970s to show how, in different ways, they inhibit social and economic progress.

Bio: Djavad Salehi‐Isfahani received his PhD in Economics from Harvard University and has served on the faculty of economics at the University of Pennsylvania and Virginia Tech, where he is currently Professor of Economics.

Registration required.