Content Analysis of the Development Plans of the Islamic Republic of IranEmphasizing Poverty and Social Exclusion

One of the most important documents that are usually viewed as an upstream document and the guide of the development process is the five-year development plans of the country. The purpose of the present research is to answer the main question of how poverty alleviation, which is one of the goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), has been considered in the policies of such plans. To this end, quantitative content analysis techniques and comparative application of categories were utilized in this study. The basic theory considered for the content analysis of the development plan is based on the approach of income poverty, capability poverty, and social exclusion. The statistical population of the research is the contents of six economic, social, and cultural development plans of the IRI. The hidden and implicit content of the text of the development plan was deduced using the existing theoretical foundations. The results show that among the development plans, the second one has dealt more with the category of poverty and deprivation. The first, fourth, and fifth plans have not paid any attention to income poverty, and the sixth program, considering income poverty, took account of capability poverty and social exclusion. Considering the fluctuating movement of the development plans of the IRI for confronting poverty and deprivation, and the non-fulfillment of its goals, it is suggested that a document be drafted to reform institutions such as formal rules and governance. Also, future development plans should be written and implemented in line with the realization of the document. Institutional reforms will provide the necessary ground for inclusive growth, which will result in the removal of functional poverty and social exclusion in the country, and the improvement of people's income.