Reports

Abstract -

Abstract Urban renewal in worn-out urban textures, as one of the common urban planning strategies, aims to improve the physical, social, and economic conditions of cities. However, these projects often lead to unintended consequences such as gentrification, which can result in the displacement of low-income residents, increased socio-economic inequalities, and changes in the cultural and social fabric of neighborhoods. This report analyzes the consequences of urban renewal projects in Iran’s worn-out urban textures from the perspective of gentrification. The findings indicate that the lack of comprehensive planning, insufficient attention to the social impacts of renewal projects, and prioritizing economic interests over residents’ needs have intensified gentrification in many urban areas. The report also highlights challenges such as the lack of affordable housing, inadequate community participation, and weak regulatory frameworks. To mitigate these issues, the report proposes guidelines including strengthening participatory planning, ensuring affordable housing provision, protecting vulnerable populations, and integrating social impact assessments into urban renewal projects to achieve balanced and inclusive urban development.

Abstract The Seventh Development Plan has set multiple targets for the country's electricity sector, and monitoring the extent to which these goals are achieved requires continuous tracking of the sector's macro indicators. This report examines the macro indicators of the electricity sector in the year 2023, which marks the final year of the Sixth Development Plan. Future reports will include semi-annual monitoring of these indicators. One of the most critical challenges facing the electricity industry in recent years has been the imbalance between electricity supply and demand during peak consumption periods. An analysis of the sector’s macro indicators in 2023 reveals that although the nominal capacity of the country’s power plants increased by 7.1%, peak electricity demand grew by 8.5%, intensifying the supply-demand gap. Therefore, alongside expanding production capacity, serious attention must be given to electricity consumption management and optimization programs. In terms of diversifying the electricity generation mix, current statistics indicate an excessive reliance over 90% on fossil fuels. The imbalance in natural gas supply during colder seasons, along with the economic and environmental drawbacks of liquid fuels, underscores the need to further develop non-fossil electricity sources (especially renewables) and improve the efficiency of thermal power plants.  

Abstract Trade facilitation can be beneficial for all countries, whether exporters or importers, and increase their access to production inputs and their participation in global value chains. In this regard, reducing the time and cost of customs procedures plays an effective role in trade facilitation and improving business indicators; therefore, identifying and removing challenges in the customs field is of high importance. In this report, some of the most important customs challenges such as the multiplicity of customs offices, multiplicity of procedures, the method of valuation and tariff determination, integrated border management, system deployment, delays in issuing permits, goods smuggling, and … have been examined. However, the transformation of customs in different countries has generally been considered as a factor prone to the economic and commercial reforms of countries, and with the adoption of new trade policies, the customs of that country, as one of the main stakeholders in the trade sector, has needed transformation in line with achieving the objectives of the new policies; studies show that the transformation of customs in countries such as China and Turkey has coincided with the economic reforms of those countries. Therefore, one of the essential prerequisites for removing customs challenges will be the drafting of a comprehensive industrial and trade policy document for the country.

Abstract

Abstract Organizing the management of the country's border terminals in terms of facilitating international trade and utilizing economic opportunities from Iran's membership in the Shanghai Pact, BRICS group, and Eurasian Economic Union, and ultimately more effective positioning of Iran in the changing regional economic order and turning Iran into a transit hub is important. In this report, it is shown that neglecting the root challenges of border terminals and sufficing with the solution of determining a single managing authority for border terminals from among the executive agencies stationed at the terminal not only does not lead to organizing the status of border terminals but experience has shown that this solution can lead to more conflicts among executive agencies and greater complexity of relations and activities at border terminals. The prerequisite for organizing border terminal management is reforming the border terminal policymaking structure through determining a single supra-sectoral policymaking authority that has the characteristics of 1. lack of sectoral orientation, 2. sufficient authority in the executive domain, 3. agility in policymaking to facilitate traffic from border terminals, and 4. strategic view of changes in the regional economic order. Determining the National Transit Headquarters as responsible for determining the management method of border terminals, the subject of clause (57) clause "A" of the Seventh Development Program Law, provides the grounds for this structural reform; although measures (e.g., relocating the secretariat to the presidency) should be considered for the issue of the secretariat's dependence on the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development. The effectiveness of the National Transit Headquarters is conditional on requirements and groundwork that should be on the agenda of the first sessions of the National Transit Headquarters; including providing the possibility of direct and intermediary-free communication between the National Transit Headquarters and each border terminal.

Abstract The aim of this report is to evaluate and analyze the support policies for the industrial sector in Iran within the framework of annual budget laws. The findings indicate that despite the economic problems in the country, the designed budgetary support policies have been insufficient compared to the damage inflicted on this sector. The results show that most of the supportive clauses and provisions aimed at the industrial sector have either not been implemented or have been implemented incompletely. Issues at the level of policy implementation, lack of coordination among executive bodies, differing interpretations of legal texts, and in some cases, insufficient understanding of the issues in the industrial sector and the failure to realize the financial resources allocated in the budget laws are among the reasons for the lack of success of the budget laws in achieving their objectives. Furthermore, the report's investigations reveal that many asset ownership projects have a long history, sometimes spanning several decades. This indicates a continuation of a long-term policy (e.g., projects to assist in the modernization of industries), which is an acceptable and important issue. However, regarding some projects, especially infrastructure projects, this is a weakness, as the prolonged duration of these projects prevents the created infrastructure from entering the economic activity cycle at the appropriate time, despite the financial burden imposed. One of the main reasons for the delay is the low allocation of resources compared to the approved budget for asset ownership projects. This situation will lead to a loss of the country's position in international competition in the medium and long term.

Abstract Some non-governmental groups are working as jihadi groups. The lack of appropriate regulation for the formation and activities of these groups necessitates suitable rule-making in this area. This research report uses content analysis to examine the laws related to the activities of jihadi groups that have been approved and implemented at various times since the Islamic Revolution from the perspective of participatory governance. The findings indicate that since the Islamic Revolution, we have witnessed three governance statuses regarding jihadi activities. In the formation period of the Jihad Construction (the first eight months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution) and also in the post-merger period (1999 to the present), there has been no specific governance over jihadi groups, and sufficient laws for the growth and support of jihadi groups have not been prepared. The participatory governance period occurred during the pre-ministerial phase (1979 to 1983), where governance regarding jihadi groups was participatory, and decision-making, execution, and supervision were mostly entrusted to the jihadists. The third type of governance was implemented during the Ministry of Jihad Construction (1983 to 1999), which was characterized by centralized (state-driven) governance over jihadi groups. Analyzing the various governance patterns over jihadi groups indicates that it is necessary to develop a law in this area inspired by the charter of the Jihad Construction plan for villages, tailored to the requirements of the second phase of the Islamic Revolution, allowing jihadi groups to maintain their independence while being empowered to make decisions, execute, and supervise based on their internal capacities.