Social policy is among key priorities for Iran due to unique Islamic regime governance structure further cemented by the historic cultural and ethno-religious heterogeneity of Iranian society. The current Islamic republic governance is only four decades old, and the social policy as a part of the society management system is being shaped and developed considering both Islamic principles and the population ever changing needs. The article provides an analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran social policy targets, trends and outcomes over the different periods of times as well as surveys various Islamic patterns for the population’s social support. The research evaluates the waqfs’ and Islamic foundations contribution shares as part of national rural and urban households spending. The author pays special attention to the different population categories’ living standards evolution, analysed both from the income standpoint, and the health care and educational systems, the households' utility services (including housing, electricity, drinking water, gas, etc.). The social justice achievement was stated as one of the main goals of the Islamic regime, and the author surveys the socio-economic stratification of the Iranian society, as well as the dynamics of poverty and inequality. These processes are driven by the domestic socio-economic policy to a large extent, but are also dependent on its correlation with the situation in global market. The author concludes that currently the support opportunities for the poorest become increasingly dependent on the external environment. That said, while the ideology had the most powerful impact on the society consolidation over the past decades, at present it is being replaced with quite pragmatic population’s aspirations such as the achievement of higher living standards, the ensured access to active participation in the economic and political life of the country.
The dynamics of population by settlements in the Guba-Khachmaz economic-geographical region