Regional Development or Regional Policies? A Review of 60 Years of Regional Planning and Development in Pre and Post Islamic Revolution Iran

Since the emergence of planning thought 90 years ago, planning and development in Iran has always been a subject of active debate. Despite this long history, the centralized planning system has never been able to promote development that is consistent with the advantages and disadvantages of the regions, hence the evident imbalance in regional development of the country. This article aims to investigate the obstacles to regional development in Iran before and after the 1979 revolution, using a descriptive-analytic methodology. The results show that the main obstacle in regional development in the country lies in its centralized management and planning system, having led to serious barriers such as a sectoral approach in regional planning and management system, lack of a legal status for regional development, dependence on oil revenues, and lack of data and information resources.