RAHBORD
Year:2012 | Volume:21 | Issue:64|Papers Count:15

The main goal of liberalizing markets, which has been followed by most developing states in the past decades, is to potentiate domestic saving, attract foreign capital, and improve efficiency of financial resources. This paper studies impact of financial liberalization on the stock market in the Iranian economy. To do this, seasonal data for the period of 1994-2008 have been studied using vector self-regression method as well as co-integration tests. The findings show that in the long term, liberalizing financial markets will have a positive impact on total price index of the stock market due to development of financial system, though it has no meaningful effect on total price index of the stock market in the short run.

The government plays a crucial role in running the country’s affairs in some countries like Iran where the government is in charge of many civil activities and medical services. To fulfill its duties, the government needs budget, but may face budget deficit when revenues projected in the budget bill are not met or expenses exceed expectations. The main subject of this paper is to determine how such factors as subsidies, inflation, tax revenues, oil revenues, state expenses, economic growth, wars, elections, unemployment and population growth cause budget deficit. These factors have been chosen on the basis of Keynesian theory as well as optimal financial theory, random borrowing theory, and general selection theory. The present study defines budget deficit as the difference between government’s revenues and expenses, which is then entered into the model as a dependent variable. To test the impact of these variables, data belonging to 1979-2008 period have been used and “minimum ordinary squares” method has been applied to test the impact of these variables on budget deficit. The findings show that oil revenues, tax revenues, and economic growth have negative impact on budget deficit while subsidies and general expenses have positive effect on it.

The main objective of this paper is to introduce core planning as a form of applied planning for urban managers. It also aims to emphasize that urban development planners should choose a series of core programs within framework of a systematic strategic thinking for every aspect of sustainable urban development in order to realize this kind of development. Sustainable development consists of economic efficiency, social equality, ecological sustainability and a new form of governance which will encourage social participation of all stakeholders in the society in the decision-making process. Planning is a sort of innovation in management system which is meant for informed regulation of economic relations in order to avoid arbitrary management of the urban affairs. It also aims to realize those goals which will help humans to achieve an optimal level of material or spiritual welfare. Since comprehensive development planning has been practically unsuccessful, because all problems cannot be solved in a given period of time, instead of focusing on comprehensive development planning, core planning is strongly advised. Core planning is the main axis of development and is based on guiding nuclei as well as executive programs. This form of planning is advised for the achievement of sustainable urban development. In view of the development outlook envisaged for Tehran and the need for a more comprehensive and strategic approach based on core planning, key nuclei in various areas of sustainable urban development should be defined first and relevant executive programs should be drawn up. In other words, this paper underlines the need for choosing core programs according to both “subject” (like a special program for the empowerment of the poor in Tehran) and “location” (such as selecting Milad Tower as a tourism nucleus and turning it into an urban brand and a national symbol so that jobs and revenue can be created by introducing it at international level through selling its tourist products such as logos…) to achieve the proposed outlook of urban development for Tehran.

Achieving high levels of development is currently a goal for many countries. Some theories measure the level of development on the basis of correct management of resources. According to these theories, optimal integration of resources is important in order to achieve development. This paper discusses the best way of integrating national resources in order to identify factors which influence development of the country. The main goal of this research is to discuss a primary model for the integration of resources at national level before analyzing the level of development on the basis of the quality of resource integration. Since comparing the wealth of countries is a method for measurement of their resources, for this reason and in order to measure development, this paper takes a different approach to definition of total wealth the as sum of measureable national resources. It also explains its various components of total wealth and the impact of each component on the development process. This study divides total wealth of a society into three categories of production resources, natural resources and intangible resources. Then it discusses these three categories and their sum total in various countries. The result will be a change in common viewpoints on development because the findings do not limit development to improving production resources, but also draw attention to intangible resources. If every resource is valued on the basis of its share in development, it would be clear that intangible resources claim a bigger share of the development process. In other words, this paper stresses on the existence of a special model of resource integration in developed and developing countries.

Mass production of housing units has been an important policy pursued by Iranian government in recent years. Mass production and building small housing units have been among major pillars of the government’s housing policy. Tax exemptions, granting inexpensive land and discount on the interest rate of bank facilities have been major supports provided by government for mass producers of housing units in recent years. Granting land on lease and eliminating land price from housing production function (by implementing Mehr Housing Plan) were other incentives considered by the government. Such supports, however, have not had a remarkable effect on encouraging mass housing production. Mass production of housing units and taking advantage of the said supports entail many expenses other than production cost. These expenses cannot be explained through a neoclassic economic theory. This paper is based on findings of a research project for the assessment of government’s mass housing policy. It uses transactions cost theory of the World Bank to assess transactions costs for 10 phases of building mass housing units before discussing reasons for the failure of the aforesaid supports to stimulate mass housing production. Findings show that the supports have been provided for only some of those 10 phases and have not been available for other phases.

Economic assessment of big plans is a technologically complicated process and is accompanied with many difficulties. Since economic assessment requires a great deal of technical and economic information and many involved variables are random or based on probability, economic assessment is at best a difficult task. This is why an experimental example has been used in this study. Taking advantage of objective examples is because of the real figures and statistics that they provide. There are many risks in urea and ammonia projects including the risk associated with sale price of urea and ammonia product. This issue has been studied on the basis of a 10-year period series according to Monte Carlo simulation model. Assessment of capital and operational costs is highly uncertain. Therefore, when uncertainty increases from 5 percent to 10 percent, that economic project is highly at risk. Future parity rates of dollar, euro and other foreign currencies, pricing model used for natural gas, projection of the project’s income, product marketing and project management through and after commissioning are major issues which have great bearing on economic assessment of a project. This paper focuses on market price of products, internal rate of return and net value before analyzing sensitivity of the project.

This study provides an estimate of the share of the Islamic Azad University’s human asset in gross domestic product (GDP) from viewpoint of human capital accumulation theory. The share has been estimated on the basis of Cobb–Douglas production function. In addition, share of various educational levels of this university as compared to state-run universities has been also studied on the basis of regression analysis and variance analysis. Despite limitation of time series and low variance, a preliminary estimate can be offered on this basis. According to findings, share of human capital has been bigger at graduate levels compared to post-graduate levels, and there is a meaningful difference between share of human capital in state-run universities compared to the Islamic Azad University. Of course, considering the cost of training human capital in state-run universities, which is seven times higher than the Islamic Azad University, efficiency of human capital accumulation is higher in the Islamic Azad University. However, the output of gross domestic product in relation to human capital is a fixed scale.

Feasibility of commercial use of unconventional oil and gas reserves such as shale oil and gas has added a new dimension to energy security. The policy of investment by major consumers of crude oil in exploration, development and production of new reserves in oil-rich countries in order to supply needed crude to global markets has been already proven inefficient. Increased dependence of Europe on the Russian oil and gas in medium and long terms in addition to the new approach taken by five major oil producers in the Middle East to the growing Chinese market as well as aggressive policies adopted by Qatar to production and export of LNG are among key factors which will determine security of energy in the future. Moreover, development of energy pipelines in the United States, Canada, Russia, Central Asia and Europe, which will play an important role in regional and global oil and gas markets, can also affect security of energy supply in the near future. This paper concludes that despite optimistic figures on the balance between oil and gas supply and demand in medium and long terms (up to 2035), consumer countries, especially China’s economy are exposed to long-term insecurity of energy supply.

The present paper aims to answer three key questions: What is the meaning and functions of energy diplomacy? What are components, opportunities and challenges of Iran’s and Russia’s energy diplomacies? What grounds are there for convergence or divergence between Iran and Russia in this regard?In the first part, the concept and function of energy diplomacy is explored through a theoretical approach. In the second part, a comparative approach is taken to study opportunities and challenges facing energy diplomacies of Iran and Russia. Then grounds for cooperation and convergence between these two countries in various energy fields including oil and gas as well as the competition and divergence resulting from conflicting interests are discussed and solutions for increasing cooperation are provided. A combination of the above theoretical and comparative methods will show that factors affecting energy diplomacies of Iran and Russia and their various components cannot be considered separate from large-scale regional and global trends and are both influenced by those trends and influence them. The present paper assumes that energy diplomacies of Iran and Russia are not convergent at bilateral level and despite grounds for convergence, there are also various reasons for divergence.

Environmental policymaking as a derivative of the government’s public policymaking is a legal and political means for the management of environmental issues. Has this kind of policymaking been actually recognized in Iran’s legal system? The overall structure of the legal system in Iran shows that despite making general policies for environment, as well as attention to environment in the 20-Year Vision Plan and development plan laws, environmental policymaking has been generally considered a form of environmental decision-making. Since environmental policymaking is dependent on public policies and their relevant strategies, environmental decisions cannot be considered as the Iranian government’s policies. Therefore, as long as the Iranian legal system has not reached a final conclusion on environment, the situation of environment in the Iranian legal system is undecided and the current policies cannot help to solve the country’s environmental problems.

Attributability is among secondary rules of international law. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has its own methodology and review of its decisions will shed light on development of attributability of responsibility. The main question of this paper is about the rules governing attributability of responsibility in the procedure of the ICJ in view of its main goal which is to settle international disputes and set the rules of customary international law. Cases related to attributability of international responsibility are categorized under these general titles: responsibility for measures taken by state bodies; responsibility resulting from positive acts and responsibility resulting from actions taken by insurgent persons and groups. The process taken by the ICJ shows that it follows a single procedure in almost all cases. Study of the procedure followed by ICJ in the case of the former Yugoslavia is important. Faced with all challenges, the ICJ has regularly stressed on its own procedure. However, it should change that procedure when it comes to attributability of international responsibility to governments in new cases. One of the most important of such cases is terrorist armed attacks in the face of which the court should adopt a new procedure.

Relativism, absolutism, and objectivity are among the most discussed concepts in the history of philosophy, in general, and in philosophy of science, in particular. The present paper starts with a preface before introducing these concepts from various viewpoints and providing their various definitions. It shows that the scope of relativism is very expansive and may consist of up to 1,000 derivatives which may leave their unconscious impact on researcher. The paper also discusses objectivity (as opposed to relativism and somehow to absolutism) to show that this is a heritage of Newtonian – Descartian school of thought which has been overtaken by new philosophical tendencies. In conclusion, the paper gives examples of absolutism and relativism.