Social Welfare
Year:2007 | Volume:7 | Issue:26|Papers Count:15

Objectives: The main objective of the paper is analyzing of city council election propaganda for exploration of the main values, components and means for urban governance from the viewpoints of candidates and after the election from the viewpoints of voters. Development theories like Modernization and Dependency have stressed on the importance of cities in developing process, however from different view points. Tehran as the capital of I.R. of Iran experienced a rapid growth from 1950s and now has about 8 million inhabitants. Tehran has a critical role in country's main political, economical and social events. So it is very important for urban and political sociology to understanding the key values and components of the capital's urban governance. The paper asked three main questions:What goals and slogans were in political groups and individuals propaganda who took part in the third Tehran city council election?Which urban governance models can be finding in the election propaganda?Which model or models elected by voters after the election?The paper briefly described four main urban governance models based on Jon Pierre theory. They are managerial, progrowth, corporatist and welfare models of urban governance. Governance refers to the process through which local authorities, in concert with private interests, seek to enhance collective goals. It is a process shaped by those systems of political, economic, and social values from which the urban regime derives its legitimacy. The models should be seen as ideal types rather than empirically precise accounts of urban governance in different countries, locales, and policy sectors.Method: This is a descriptive study and its data has been gathered from campaign documents all 1200 candidates for Tehran third city council election. We sampled from 443 candidates and political groups documents. The data analyzed by content analysis method.Findings: The content of all most propaganda matches with welfare urban governance model. The election result also shows most of voters voted for that model. About half of our sample candidates (46/5 %) didn't have goals in their propaganda. About one third or 33/9% of the candidates pointed to the welfare goals, 11/5 % to the progrowth goals and 8/1 % to the managerial goals. If we consider the candidates slogans we find that the welfare slogans are in the first place by 64/5 % of all slogans. The progrowth slogans with 20/8 % and managerial slogans with 14/7% are in second and third places. Political groups have the same situation. 6 groups didn't have any goals in their propaganda, 18 groups had welfare goals, 8 groups had progrowth goals, and 4 groups had managerial goals. Among the 36 political groups who were in our sample, 6 groups or 16/6 % didn't have any slogans. The other groups who had slogans in their advertisement, the first place was for welfare slogans with 106 cases or 62/7 % of all cases. The second and third places were for progrowth slogans with 21/8 % and managerial slogans with 15/3 %. Among the 15 candidates who won the Tehran city council seats except two persons, 11 persons had welfare goals and 1 person had progrowth goals. The welfare goals were the key components of election plans of three political groups, namely Islamic reformist, Islamic moderate radical and Islamic radical who won the political campaign.Results: The resources for urban governance in welfare model come from the state so it can be reduce the independence of city council and its' potentials for influencing urban management. The main influx of capital into the economy comes through the welfare system, placing the city in an especially delicate dependency toward the state. Given this dependency on central government spending, this governance model includes the state to the largest extent possible, as a provider or as an enabler or both. The urban political leadership puts great reliance on the state to provide compensatory programs to the city.

Objectives: this research after representing of views and theories of citizenship, wanted to explain this issue that citizenship culture. Produced by commitment, responsibility and cooperation of elements and different spheres of society we supposed an ideal type to every sphere (good governance for state sphere, efficiency organization for public sphere and active citizen for privacy sphere) as affecting factors on create and sustain the citizenship cultural. Citizenship cultural in cloud, a series of common values, attitude and rules which gives sense of belonging, commitment and respect to the social heritage and distinguish of citizenship right and responsibility. Generally, we could say citizenship cultural has some characters: 1- it compound of different elements, 2- it is a collective product, 3- it can be transited from generation to another generation, 4- it is stable and less changeable and 5- it is a scale, regard to it different societies can be varies. The basic question of this research is what elements create citizenship cultural and how they compound.Method: method of recent essay is documentary research. This research tries to study theories and compound of them that show different spheres of society are interceded and related.Findings: citizenship has tow dimensions, rights and responsibilities that both of them are important to the society. Society compound of different spheres for example state sphere, public sphere and privacy sphere. These spheres reared to every sphere have rights and responsibility that they have to regard to them. However different factors can be imbedded in citizenship cultural but recent essay says that good governance, efficiency organization and active citizenship are important bases of citizenship cultural. To create a citizenship cultural we need to movement one of them from up to down and another from down to up. From up to down, good governance has indicators that give some opportunities to participation. In shadow of these opportunities citizens could take a part in the public sphere. Public sphere is a site of participations. To participate in public sphere we need to active citizenship. In the other word, citizens move from down to up to take a part some responsibilities in social position. Public sphere is a place that good governance and active citizenship are joined.Results: Interaction between good governance in state sphere, efficiency organization in public sphere and active citizenship in privacy sphere create citizenship cultural. Generally, not only citizenship created by good governance, efficiency organization and active citizenship but also it is a place that they could be existed.

Objectives: One of the institutions which New Institutional Economics study on is social capital. Social capital is a concept that states the quantity and quality of relations between members of a society. The more the social capital, the less the transaction cost, and the more opportunities available for mutually beneficial collective actions which means we may face fewer problems that result to market failure. The experimental literature of social capital has shown the importance of this concept in many economies. Most studies have shown the important role of social capital in some fields such as creation of human capital, the efficiency of government, having more innovations, flow of information and achieving more economic growth.Since this concept has not yet become a major factor for socio-economic analysis in Iran, our first purpose is to define the concept more exactly. Furthermore we define different levels and forms of social capital. The main purpose of this paper is to measure the social capital of every 28 provinces of Iran in the year 2000. In another word we examine a secondary analysis on two national surveys.Method: Using Stone and Hoghes (2003) we divide social capital into 3 levels and 2 types. It means that we tried to investigate different types in various levels; i.e. we examine both structural (quantity) and cognitive (quality) forms, in three levels of informal, generalized and institutional. Therefore we have 6 different sections that in every one of them we introduce at least one index. Number of indexes used for each section is as follows: 9 indexes for informal-structural, 7 indexes for informal-cognitive, 9 for generalized-structural, 6 for generalized cognitive, 1 for institutional-structural and 19 indexes for institutional-cognitive. The data we used here relate to two national surveys; Iranians' Cultural Behaviors (1999) and Iranians' Values and Attributes (2000).The method of measurement in this research is a complex of Factor Analysis and Taxonomy. Factor analysis helps us to reduce a number of indexes to less number of factors or components according to their correlations. Taxonomy is a way to compare many sectors by many factors. We use the results of factor analysis in taxonomy to compare the social capital between provinces.Findings: As our study on the history of using these two methods says, other studies have used factor analysis just for omitting unnecessary components. We have shown that following this way may cause deviation in results. For example we observed that if we commit this finding that the third component in informal structural section, has the least explanatory role, we face Bandar Abbas as the 17th city in this section. Consequently we add a step to achieve a more realistic measurement of social capital. Our proposed solution is to consider the weights of remaining components as well as omitting unnecessary ones. By doing this step, Bandar Abbas reaches to 6th. We think this procedure may be an innovation in quantitative section of our research. Using factor analyses we reduce 51 different indexes in all 6 sectors into 14 components. These components explain almost 80% of indexes.Finally we reach to 6 grades and ranks for each of the six social capital. According to average and s.d. of the six, it has been shown that Ilam is the best and Tehran is the worst one in the province centers.Results: The most important difference of this study is to use various indexes. This characteristic helps us to have deeper knowledge about the quality and quantity of social capital in every single province center. Increasing the level of social capital in every city, we have to observe all of important components and indexes to set better objectives and policies. A good policy needs better understanding of important components. For example if we face low level of generalized-structural social capital in a city, we then should consider that first component as the most important one. This component has a strong correlation with "guild unity membership" and "Charity membership". These two indexes have strong correlation (80%) with the first component and the first component explains approximately 40% of all 9 introduced indexes. Knowing these founded realities lead us to better policy making to increase social capital. It is also can be conducted that bigger cities have less social capital. This can cause from high amount of immigrations that leads to fewer familiarity among citizens.

Objectives: This paper aims to evaluate the impact of good governance on the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Indeed, the article tries to give an answer to this question: why is there a great difference between Iran and a few selected successful countries (China, Brazil and Malaysia) in terms of FDI.Method: For investigation, the hypothesis behind of this research is Eclectic Hypothesis that is viewed as a dominated paradigm. Location Advantage as a part of Eclectic Hypothesis represents that multinational and transnational companies select locations in among of other places that by blending advantages of these locations whit other advantage belong to multinational and transnational companies cause to maximized benefit. By consider this hypothesis, so this article has benchmarked Iran and successful country subject to performance of absorbing FDI and inward FDI potentials. Political risks, which are related to good governance, obviously, have been benchmarked for all above mentioned countries for period 1996-2005. For this to be done, this article used data on the quality of governance.Findings: According to UNCTAD reports and other scholar's researches and studies, good governance as a proxy of political risks affects the choice of the overseas firms for FDI engaging in the host economy.Finding: Results show that in this period, inward FDI performance has been very weak in the case of Iran and components of good governance index including Voice and Accountability, Political Stability, Regulatory Quality, Rules of Law and Control of Corruption almost all are worse than of the selected successful countries.However from Voice and Accountability point of view, respectively Brazil, Malaysia, Iran and China are greater; indeed Iran in respect of Voice and Accountability is better than china. And from Control of Corruption case, at first of period Iran had bad situation but this situation improves more than China.Results: Subject to findings of this paper and theories about FDI, good governance has an important impact on the FDI; and the main reason for the poor FDI performance of Iran is directly related to high political risk. Foreign investors benchmark and consider political risk technically and implicitly. Transparency, low red tape, stability and others things that related to good governance make good environment for investment whether local or foreign. High good governance causes to low political risks and in turn causes to low transaction costs. Transaction costs as a form of cost, reduce benefit of investor; therefore foreign investors won't invest in high cost locations. So locations whit the lower transaction costs promote FDI.Attracting FDI into Iran would grow increasingly, if some investment incentive will be better; Iran has to using effort beyond the liberalization, engaging in broader efforts of FDI facilitation. Trade and FDI facilitation aims at developing a consistent, transparent and predictable environment for international transactions and investment, based on internationally accepted customs and practices that simplify procedures, standardize physical facilities and means, and harmonize trade, investment and transport laws and regulations.

Objectives: Today social Participation importance in all societies among them Iran and consider to participation prelude obstacles obvious for all.Social participation is now defined as an individuals' participation in group outside the family, the political arena and the workplace (political parties, unions, pressure groups). Specifically, it excludes membership in groups based on multiple variables.Social participation, including voluntarism, maybe institutional (organizations, associations and clubs) or informal (individual activities). The two forms my find expression in the actions of the same individual, and each operates in different ways.Informal participation operates in two specific ways: ad hoc involvement in group action at irregular intervals, such as charitable donations to disadvantaged groups and individuals; and stable, regular participation in activities of groups that are not institutions as such but are relatively permanent (youth and music groups, for example) formal participation covers any affiliation with registered associations, clubs and groups with an ongoing program of activities, a meeting place, and officers.In this article a main question to consist of: "what's Participation prelude and what's obstacles to exit path of citizenship social Participation?" therefore, main goal and problem of present study is to world wide recognition and scientific rate of social Participation, dimentions, depth, slop that and obstacles. we select scales for measuring social participation and for study obstacles anomia and powerlessness for example. This section includes chapins'socialparticipation scale. It is a general scale of participation in voluntary organizations, of all kinds- professional, civic, and social. And so, we use semman and srole scale for study anomia powerlessness and alienation variables.Method: In this study, we selected survey research method with questionnaire, interview techniques. So we use of chocran formula with systematic random sampling method and selected eighthundredeighty person (women and men) upper age eighteen in Tehran city.Findings: The purpose of present study is to examine the hypothisis which regard to variable,s in anomy, powerlessness, alienation theory. In Neal and seeman's Powerlessness Scale, basically measures the subjectively help probabilities that the outcomes of political and economic events cannot be adequately controlled by oneself or collectively by persons like oneself. They define powerless low expectancies for control of events, as lack of control over the political system, the industrial economy, and found correlation's between the rate of social participation and rate of anomia and powerlessness.Results: according to finding's of this research, the average rate of anomia and powerlessness to produce a result: the decline social Participation (Participation with goal attainment freely with awareness in society). So family - economic and social obstacles have been significant relation to rate social Participation.It is a reality that formal social participation is low. Similarly, increased opportunities for individual activies have transformed one of the roles of Nongovernmental- organizations. We know, however, that the number of clubs and association's with this goal that are not part of the society, has grown in Iran and Tehran city.Does this phenomenon not effect in individuals and social participation's defect?While participation is a process in which people involved to makes endowers aiming at a common goal and as one of the principle for development and stable development.

Objectives: Citizenship Rights Charters are indicators of how societies have considered social relationships and future life. They include the latest scientific outcomes about the ideal human society. Besides, these charters can be thought as the agreed perspectives in order to maintain, enhance, and correct social system.Among different variables that are discussed in these charters, some of them have greater importance. These variables include the way that people see life and people's fundamental responsibilities toward themselves, others, the world, and future life.The purpose of this study is to study the most famous and practical citizenship charters and documents worldwide, and then propose a logical citizenship rights charter.Method: The methodologies used in this research include comparative study, qualitative content analysis, and logical analysis. In the comparative study method, the selected citizenship charters have been compared with each other from different aspects. In the qualitative content analysis method, the focus is on how data (terms & words) are used in different charters and documents. Likewise, in the logical Analytical method, the relationship between different principles and their scope has been studied, and some fundamental principles and theories have been introduced. Then, the logical proposed framework has been designed through this methodology.Findings: According to the content reasoning of a set of citizenship rights charters, it seems that achievement of a citizenship rights charter for human beings requires the acceptance of similar respect, freedom, welfare, information, and progress rights. Of course, there is a very important task for society members in return; which is "Responsible Collaboration in the Social System" or "Fulfilling the rights of the society in having responsible collaboration of its members".Results: All urban laws and rules should be based on a set of logical principles, and urban service providers should resolve any obstacle that may deny these principles. As a result, each citizenship right charter will be developed in two categories:1) General principles which consist of the suggested rights introduced in the findings section2) The concluded principles which ensure the execution of the above principles in the city environmentTherefore, the following principles are introduced and identified in the proposed Logical Citizenship Rights Charter:- All people have the right to be respected in the same way- All people have the right to have freedom- All people have the right to have complete security- All people have the right to have relative welfare- All people have the right to have enough information & knowledge to actively participate in the social arenas- All people have the right to plan for their progress and excellence- All people are responsible against the prosperity of others.

Objectives: The immigrants' mental health is one of the basic discussions in social sciences which have attracted the attention of many international institutions such as World Health Organization (WHO). Nowadays, many factors such as injustice, frustration, disrespect affecting immigrants' life is arising of social factors, which threaten their mental health. On these lines, social capital plays a central role in providing the immigrants with emotional and mental support in order to enhance their mental health. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between social capital and mental health among immigrants in Kermanshah city.Method: The research method was a survey. The required data was collect through a questionnaire. The population under study includes immigrants living in Kermanshah whose number amounted to 45000 in 1384. For practical purposes, a sample including 600 immigrants was selected by simple random sampling using Lin sampling table. A28-item WHO questionnaire and a 90-item SCL questionnaire were used in order to measure participants' mental health, three indices of social confidence, social support and social participation were used in order to measure social capital. Face and criterion validity were used for reliability and Coronbach alpha was used for research reliability. The statistical methods of Pearson Correlation and and analysis of variance were use to test the hypothesis and regression analysis was used to measure the research method.Findings: The results of correlation show that the relationship between mental health and other variables: Education (r=%14), Age (r=%26), residency duration (r=%41), Social confidence (r= %66), social support (r= /51), and social participation (r= %48) are significant. The results gained from this coefficient tells us that the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables is significant at least the 5% level. The results of multiple regressions also show that independent variables have explained %57 of dependent variable and the contribution of each independent variables to dependent variable are respectively as follows: Social confidence (Beta= %30), social participation (Beta= %25), kinds of migration (Beta= %21), marital status (Beta= %16), social support (Beta= %14) and residency duration (Beta= %6).Results: The findings of this article show that the relationship between two construct e.g. social capital and immigrants' mental health indicate a high level of significance. If individuals enjoy a high level of social, capital it means that they access valuable resources such as mutual trust, social mental and financial support, the existence of kinship networks, attachment, and participation in different aspects of social life, so they will have a higher level of mental health. A high level of mental health among the immigrants is a result of an increase in the amount of social capital among them and social capital cause higher levels of mental health and quality of life among migrants.Results also addressed the role of social capital and the existence of supportive networks in facilitating acculturation.

Objectives: Instinctive complication of human society and lack of a natural methodology for surveying and studying complicated social processes has led the social scientists to use artificial society for this category. The presented research is a part of a newly appeared course in which the agents have interaction with each other for the purpose of simulating social and economic processes. In this article, the application of artificial society sugarsacpe model to analyze and optirnize wealth distribution in the society is studied, and the model of social welfare that reviews the role of wealth distribution, inheritance and population control in social welfare is presented.Sugarscape model consists of a cellular landscape (Cellular Automata) of resources (sugar or energy) and a population of agents which need the resources for their survival (for their metabolism), search (according to their vision) the cells and move to obtain them. Because of the movement, an evolutionary social behavior will happen. According to model analysis, this behavior should be parameterized and optirnized. To analyze, it is assumed that each agent should gather sugar to make asset. Hence, the amount of sugar which each agent gathers is considered as its wealth or assets. The model begins with an uneven equality of wealth in the society then the agents start to gather as much amount of sugar as they can. In simulation, the population is categorized based on the wealth, and the percentage of the population which possesses some percentage of the wealth is specified in the Diagrams. Pareto's principle is studied in this simulation and the equality and inequality of wealth distribution is observed by using Lorenz Curve. And Gini Coefficient is studied.Method: Basic, simulation and applied method is used in the study. The method of data gathering was field, library and computational.Findings: Increasing inequality in wealth distribution (sugar) in the society caused social poverty, and high range of mortality due to starvation was observed. Also, Pareto's principle was approved in this simulation.Results: Inheritance can postpone selection; in other words it increases the possibility of agents' survival in a society. Moreover implementation of population control strategies, especially among poor classes, may increase social welfare. The conclusion is that rising agent's vision and decreasing their metabolism may result to approach the equality, because poor agents may also achieve better chances to gain wealth.

Objectives: One of the outcomes of the ongoing urbanization in developing countries is the urbanization of poverty and the concomitant formation of informal settlements in or around mainly the large cities. These settlements are the physical manifestation of poverty and are the home for the poor who cannot afford to buy their house from the formal market and in accordance with zoning and building regulations. In spite of many common characteristics, two categories of informal settlements have been distinguished in the literature in terms of their capability to progress or regress. This article will examine the existence and the attributes of these categories in an Iranian city, named Kermanshah with around 800 thousands inhabitants, of which 150 thousands live in informal settlements and this figure is growing hastily.Method: An empirical study combining both quantitative and qualitative methods was undertaken. The necessary data and information at city scale are collected from the existing sources, such as formal documents, official reports and statistical publications, aerial and satellite pictures and previous academic researches. For the selected cases, field observations and sampling survey have been used for the quantitative data and focused group discussions have been undertaken for the qualitative data. In addition, more than thirty hours of planned and serial interviews with the informal settlers, local authorities, and experts were recorded about the concealed aspects of these settlements. The field observations have done through one and a half year, in a semi-participatory and semi-apparent manner. A major part of households data are collected through 200 questionnaires, administered in three neighbors. The analysis of collected data was done with the help of SPSS and GIS software.Findings: Fundamental differences observed amongst informal settlements which are in progressing or depressing states. Thus, the categorization of slums of hope and slums of despair is true in the case of Kermanshah city. In case of slums of hope, the socio-economic status of dwellers is improving. They are not new and are consolidated gradually with the formal part of city. Most of them were formed informal (but not necessarily illegal) on subdivided agricultural lands in or adjacent to the city, bought from big landlords. During the past decades, taking advantage of the philanthropic attitude of the state, they have been marching toward a higher level and though the relative poverty is a major issue, the absolute poverty is almost nonexistent. In case of slums of despair, the situation is vice versa. They are a minor portion of all informal settlements, squatting illegally with the support of clandestine bands. In the wake of secure tenure and lack of basic social services, the accumulation of very poor people, has created a cycle of poverty. As a result, the socio-economic and physical indicators are very low and downgrading. In contrast to conventional formulation, not all the dwellers of slums of despair are low income rural migrants, but some previously urban habitants were resettled in these pockets of poverty due to some pathological causes. The major differential factors between the two categories derive from the background of dwellers, the originating formation and the contextual socio-economic and environmental conditions, as well as the crucial effect of municipal and urban planning approach toward them.Results: Considering the importance of urban planning approach on the informal settlements, different policies for regularization and upgrading of these settlements should be employed on the basis of distinguishing their status as being a slum of hope or despair. There is an urgent need for remedies in case of slums of despair, mostly revolve around providing social services (e.g., social security, health and educational services) and income generation programs (e.g., LED and CED). In case of slums of despair, the pivotal policy should be concentrated on building citizenship through institutionalization of community efforts for physical upgrading as part of initiating good governance.

Objectives: Since the first theory proposed by Hippocrates about the etiology of depression, many theories has been stated and each of them have emphasized on special factors as a cause of depression. These factors might be genetic (the literature of depression in family) biological (disturbance of chemical materials in body or disturbance of neurotransmitters), psychological (lack of close relationship with individuals, deprivation from mother's love) or environmental (family experiences, negative events in recent years) and in many cases they overlap one another.Among the studies that emphasize on environmental factors, the importance of social support has been considered as a preventive factor for tendency to depression. It seems the evaluation of biological factors that are effective on depression indicates the important contribution of genetic and environmental factors to develop depression. Many studies which has been conducted on the biological determinates of depression have shown some personality characteristics that leading to depression. Among these characteristics we encounter constitutional factors. It seems, there are biological individual differences that will be more susceptible to depression. According to Gray's theory, individual differences in functioning of brain behavioral systems and interaction between them, is the base of human mood. Gray proposed three brain behavioral systems: 1) behavioral inhibition system (mS); 2) behavioral activation system (BAS) and 3) fight / flight system (FFS).Gray's theory postulates that individuals that are low on the BAS dimension will be more susceptible to depression, whereas individuals that are high on the BIS dimension will be more susceptible to anxiety disorders. Fowles (2000) considered the activity of BIS with anxiety and frustration, and stated that the activity of BAS comes along with hope and relief. Therefore, it seems the sensitivity of each brain behavioral system has different effects on different persons. In agreement with Gray's personality theory, the present study has designed to test the effect of the brain behavioral systems in mediating the relationship between social support and depression.Method: For this purpose, 195 females (average age 27.9) from the faculties (management, accountancy and teacher's education) of Azad University (Tehran South Branch) were selected randomly by stratified cluster sampling (based on the clusters of faculty and course). Subjects completed three questionnaires: 1) Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ); 2) Social Support Questionnaire (Wax & et al) and 3) Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI). Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the hypothesis that the interaction of the social support and behavioral inhibition system would significantly predict the severity of depression. Also, semi-partial correlation was done to determine the effects of independent and mediating variables on the variance of dependent variable.Findings: The results indicated that :a) there was negative relationship (r= -0.464, p<0.01) between social support and depression ;b) the behavioral activation system and depression did not relate significantly (r=0.083); c) the relation between the behavioral inhibition system and depression was significant  (r= 0.324, p<0.01) and d) in the condition of low social support, the tendency to depression was high, but the behavioral inhibition system mediated this relationship.Results: Although there was a relationship between depression and social support, this relation will be more in the case of high sensitivity of behavioral inhibition system. On the other hand, in the condition of low social support, individuals with high sensitivity of behavioral activation system in comparison with those with high sensitivity of behavioral inhibition system, are more likely to become depressive.

Objectives: one of the areas which have not been considered sufficiently in the domain of old age is the surveying of the legal dimensions of this phenomenon, specifically in Iranian civil law system. Because of the diminishing mental and physical abilities as a result of passage of age, this group of citizens are needed to be considered through the legislature with a protective view in the field of special entities to perform (execute) their possessive and financial rights. No one, when reaching the age of majority, can be treated as under disability in respect of insanity or immaturity unless his immaturity or insanity is proved.Method: this study, which will be done in the explanatory-analysis method, will examine the Iranian legislative policies which are signified in Iranian civil code, as a principle code and other aspects of Iran law. Data was collected by researching of the civil cod of Iran and another law.Findings: the revision of the issue shows that the old age and senility by itself has never been considered as a factor of interdictory and a symbol of disability and incapacity to enjoyment or use of rights in Iranian civil law system. Iranian civil law (The Article 958) say that Every human being is entitled to civil rights but nobody can utility and employ these rights unless he possesses legal capacity for so doing and also in Iran civil law the capacity to possess rights begging with the birth of a human being and end with his death (Article 956) but old age (senility) accompanying the diminish of the physical and mental abilities may lead to some rights has been limited and disposed by the old ages. Therefore, the Article 1207 of Iranian civil law says that the persons who have not matured are considered as under disability and are forbidden to take possession of their property and their pecuniary rights. And another article of this law says that By the words" persons who have not matured" is meant persons whose method of deailing in their property and rights is not in accordance with reason (1208).Results: To support the old ages in the Iranian civil law system it is needed to consider two important aspects. The first one is to accept special protective interdictory and establishing the prescription of lack of sufficient growth to the special age in the old age period with respect to the present situation of Iranian society. The second aspect is to accept the mental disorders relating to the old age far wider than the status of traditional concept of lunacy and immaturity to support them. Therefore, the amendment of related regulations such as Iranian civil code (Articles 1207, 1208) for this aims is necessary.

Objective: Iran has increasingly confronted with the problem of trafficking in persons in recent years. In 1383 (2004) Iranian parliament (majlis) ratified the Act against Human Trafficking (hereinafter the' Act') which is in comparison to international standards analyzed in this article.Method: This study has been carried out by desriptive and legal analytical method. Library and documents has been the main tools for research.Findings: trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and smuggling of body parts are manifestations of profitable illegal activities transnationally committed by organized groups. These crimes because of their destructive social, moral, human and economical effects have attracted attentions in national and international scenes. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime were elaborated in December 2000 and entered into force in 25 December 2003 and 28 January 2004 respectively. Under the influence of international developments, Iranian parliament passed the Act. It has a suppressive approach in response to human smugglers imposing long terms of imprisonment. Notwithstanding this, the Act does not properly protect the victims and witnesses.Results: Although ratification of the Act is regarded an important step for combating human trafficking, nonetheless the criminal policy of Iranian legislature has been scattered in connection with various manifestations of the transnational organized crimes; the Act has been discussed and ratified separate from the other manifestations like narcotics smuggling, corruption, money laundering etc. Furthermore the Act suffers from some defects and shortcoming including: non-definition of 'group' which has been used in the Act; the 'transnational' and 'organized' characteristics of human trafficking are neglected which resulted in inter alia failure to provide international cooperations; and victims of the crime are not appropriately protected. Providing protective measures for victims and making arrangements for their safe repatriation are necessary. Finally, keeping in mind the fact that human traffickers frequently forge travel and identity documents, legislating preventive measures ensuring security and control of these documents is strongly recommended.

Objective: The number of elderly persons in our country (more than 7.8% of Iran population) is increasing more and more. Tehran province has the most number of retired with male to female ratio: 2/1. So, in the field of "quality of life" (QOL) increasing needs for giving care (physical and socioeconomic) to these groups have been appeared. .In view of the aging process in our population there is a need to identify effective methods to prevent disadvantageous effects of this trend. The main purpose of this research was assessment and comparing of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between retired staffs and labors. Also the effect of postretirement employment on HRQOL was explored.Method: This study was carried out cross-sectionally and with the participation of 80 retired labor men and 80 retired staff men in Tehran University of medical science .The main purpose of this research was assessment and comparing of QOL items between retired staffs and labors. Also the effect of postretirement employment on QOL items was explored. Other variables such as; age, marriage status, education grade, house ownership were assessed too. In this research, we studied QOL variables in terms of quantitative and used t test.Findings: Finding showed that in retired staffs and labors, there was significant difference between quality of life variables. In other word, in staff group in comparison with labors group, there was better state from aspect of physical function, role- physical limitation, general health, social function, mental health, role-emotional limitation, total scores of physical health, mental health and quality of life. These differences were significant. There was a significant relationship between postretirement employment and quality of life (QOL) variables such as: physical function, role- physical limitation, role-emotional limitation, vitality, total scores of physical health, mental health and quality of life.Results: Quality of life in elderly and retirees has relationship with all aspect of health and been influenced by many factors such as economic, mental, physical and social factors. So, based to these conclusions and similar studies, we can go toward quality of life promotion and increasing of community participations. Doing educational, cultural planning and policy making base upon real needs of elderly and retired can be mentioned.The overall improvement of self-reported QOL among elderly people suggests that the onset of disabilities could be postponed, especially if health-related circumstances were more evenly distributed at the start of or even before retirement age. These results suggest we should design appropriate programs to increase elderly people's interaction with others and establish new social networks for them which may enhance a sense of positive self-concept.