حمید سعیدی جوادی

Considering the different views regarding the effect of the depth of democracy on the environment, in the present research, a comparative study was conducted between Iran and South Korea regarding to the effect of the depth of democracy on the relationship between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to achieve the objectives of the research, the required data collected from the World Bank during the period of 1981-2021 and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model used to analyze the data.

The results showed that the depth of democracy, the growth rate of gross domestic product and labor force in South Korea is more than Iran, and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and fixed capital formation in Iran is more than South Korea. In addition, in the long term, the depth of democracy has an inverse effect and gross domestic product, the ratio of capital formation to gross domestic product and labor has direct effect on the emission of greenhouse gases in both countries. Also, the depth of democracy in the long term reduces the direct effect of gross domestic production on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions of both countries.

Increasing the depth of democracy reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and reduces the direct effects of economic growth on greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is suggested to the officials of the country especially the Ministry of Interior to provide the basis for the formation and growth of non-governmental organizations, especially in the field of environment.

The status of women in the Qajar period was such that they were deprived of the smallest social, economic, cultural and political rights and were under severe restrictions caused by the patriarchal society. One of the most important reasons that put women in that situation was illiteracy, lack of awareness and lack of communication with society. For this reason, one of the first measures taken by modern women was the construction of girls' schools and efforts to educate girls and women. Although the establishment of girls' schools in that environment was met with protest and reaction from the traditional society, but gradually, especially after the constitutional revolution, it spread and had beneficial effects on the status of women. The aim of the current research is to investigate the results and consequences of the establishment and gradual expansion of educational institutions on the status of women at this stage. Therefore, the question is, what effect did educational institutions have on the status of women in the Qajar period? The hypothesis is that educational institutions, including girls' schools, have caused literacy and, as a result, the growth of awareness, change of attitude and efforts to play a greater role for women in society. The findings of the research show that the submissive and undemanding women of the Qajar period, upon entering the Pahlavi period, turned into demanding women who raised demands such as the right to enter society and employment. The present research method is descriptive-analytical and the data were collected in a library manner.

Economic and political convergence within a region offers numerous advantages to the constituent countries of that region. Given Iran's imperative need to bolster its trade relationships with other nations as a strategy to mitigate the economic sanctions it faces, this study places paramount significance on exploring the feasibility of enhancing Iran's economic convergence with the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC). Situated at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, and historically associated with the Silk Road, this organization was established in 1992. The primary aim of BSEC is to foster cooperation among its 13 founding member countries, namely Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, North Macedonia, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The overarching goal is to promote peace, stability, and prosperity within the Black Sea region. To date, the Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged with the aforementioned organization in the capacity of a Sectoral Dialogue Partner (SDP). Collaboration between Iran and BSEC has encompassed a wide spectrum of domains, including but not limited to transportation, agriculture and related industries, banking and finance, combatting organized crime, culture, customs affairs, education, emergency aid, energy, environmental protection, statistical data and information exchange, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry, information and communication technologies, organizational rejuvenation and good governance, science and technology, small and medium industries, tourism, trade, and economic development. Furthermore, several specialized working groups have been established to facilitate and oversee these collaborative efforts.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

The theoretical framework underpinning research concerning economic convergence finds its roots in the theory of customs unions. Esteemed economists such as Viner (1950) and Meade (1955) have made significant contributions to the development of this theoretical domain. Advocates of the theory of economic convergence contend that it offers a pathway for less developed nations to harness the benefits of larger markets and to attain economies of scale, thereby mitigating the constraints imposed by the limited size of their domestic economies. Furthermore, proponents of the economic convergence theory posit that, through this approach, smaller nations can bolster their standing within the global economy and enhance their appeal for attracting foreign and international capital investments.

METHODOLOGY:

To fulfill the objectives of this research, data spanning the period from 2010 to 2021 was gathered from authoritative sources including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Trade Center. Subsequently, the collected data underwent analysis utilizing the gravity model, with the STATA software serving as the analytical tool. Notably, in the 1960s, seminal work conducted by Tinbergen and Poyhonen marked the early application of the gravity model for the examination of international trade flows. Since that time, the gravity model has evolved into a widely adopted tool in the realm of international economic studies. Numerous researchers have employed this model to explore trade dynamics between nations. It is worth emphasizing that the utility of the gravity model extends beyond the analysis of trade patterns; it is also instrumental in the examination of regionalism. In essence, this model functions as a versatile tool, capable of simulating potential trade relationships within any form of integration program involving groups of nations.

The results of the analysis have revealed that certain categories of goods, identified by their two-digit customs tariff codes, hold particular promise for the development of trade relations between Iran and the countries in question. These preferred groupings are as follows: "27: Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes," "72: Iron and steel," "39: Plastics and articles thereof," "29: Organic chemicals," "08: Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons," "74: Copper and articles thereof," "76: Aluminum and articles thereof," and "84: Machinery, mechanical appliances, nuclear reactors; parts thereof," in respective order. Moreover, the findings highlight that economic integration between Iran and the BSEC countries exerts a positive influence on the overall trade volume originating from Iran and destined for BSEC nations. Specifically, it is observed that a one-unit increase in economic integration between Iran and the BSEC countries leads to a corresponding 0.24 unit increase in the total trade volume between Iran and the countries within the BSEC framework. Consequently, it is deduced that fostering economic integration between Iran and the BSEC countries is a viable prospect, one that is poised to yield an upsurge in the volume of trade between Iran and the aforementioned countries.

 CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS:

Based on the research findings, it is recommended that policymakers take proactive measures to enhance economic convergence between Iran and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) as a strategy to mitigate the impacts of economic sanctions. This recommendation is underscored by the strategic importance of the Black Sea region, given its unique position at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, historically associated with the Silk Road. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the Black Sea basin is one of the most heterogeneous and intricate regions globally. This geographic area encompasses countries that exhibit substantial political, economic, military, cultural, and religious diversity. Consequently, any collaborative endeavors between Iran and the member nations of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) should be structured and adapted to account for these multifaceted and dynamic conditions and components.

social, economic, cultural and political rights. Factors such as the Constitutional Revolution and the spread of feminist ideas as a result of the expansion of Iran-West relations led some intellectual and progressive women to think about the realization of women's rights in this traditional and religious environment. To this end, women established several educational and civic institutions, such as girls' schools and women's associations and publications, to educate women and work for their rights. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of women's associations and organizations in promoting the status of women in Qajar society. To this end, the question arises that what effect did women's associations and organizations have on the promotion of the status of women in the Qajar period? The hypothesis is that these associations and organizations improved the social and political status of women at this time by raising awareness, changing attitudes and identifying women. The research shows that these associations have increased the awareness, change the attitude and demand of a large number of women by establishing several girls' schools, holding meetings and gatherings, establishing a magazine and raising awareness among women and have provided the conditions and Introduction for their entry into the community. The method of the present research is descriptive-analytical and the data are collected in a library method.

Observations indicate that Iran is the latest commercial partner of five central Asia countries (CA). Also, Khorasan Razavi province (KRP) has the most share Iranian export to CA among other provinces, while this share recently has been reduced severely. Therefore, developing the economic diplomacy of Iran and, especially, KRP with CA has undeniable importance to non-oil export increase and reducing the effects of economic sanctions which has been studied in this research. For this purpose, statistical sample has been determined using snowball method and questionnaires distributed between experts of KRP chamber of commerce and Iran foreign affairs representative in northeast (n=25). SWOT matrix was applied to analyze data. Results indicated that, being the hub of foodstuffs production, having professional exporters and nearby CA, are main strengths, low quality of exported goods, marketing weaknesses and exporters negative competition are main weaknesses; plenty of water resources in some CA, cultural communions and CA inaccessibility to international waters are main opportunities; fluctuations of trade laws in CA, existence of powerful rivals and problems of foreign exchange transfer are main challenges of developing the economic diplomacy of KRP with CA. Finally, notice to being hub of foodstuffs production and having most negative water balance among other provinces and notice to potential market of CA equal to 73 million peoples, having high share of agricultural lands to total square and plenty of water resources between CA, developing the economic diplomacy of KRP with CA through foodstuffs export and abroad cultivation of agricultural products with high water requirements were suggested.

Sheikh Ismail Mahallati, known as a modernist scholar in Najaf, supported and defended the constitution with the beginning of the constitutional movement and after its establishment in Iran, along with other prominent scholars of that seminary, such as Akhund Khorasani, Mazandarani, Naeini and Tehrani. Coinciding with the establishment of the first term parliament and about a year before of Naini's book "Tanbih-al-ummah and Tanzih-al-mellah", he wrote a treatise entitled "Leali al-Marbutah in the Necessity of the Constitution", all of which was in defense of the Constitution and in response to its religious opponents. Sheikh Ismail Mahallati's main concern was how to overthrow the authoritarian regime and then control and monitor the government's performance. The discourse of local political thought in this treatise is formed around three basic axes: limiting the power, power of the nation and religion and rationality. Each of the above three components have elements that can be combined to overlap the nature of each component. In total, these components have eleven basic elements. With a historical and analytical approach, this article seeks to explain various aspects of neighborhood political thought in defense of the Iranian constitutional movement.

We can say that one of the most important issues in the field of political thought of Islam as well as the history of political thought in contemporary Iran is religious novelty-thinking and especially Shiite political jurisprudence in Iran. With the arrival of the new era in European history, a wave of modernism and freedom of thought in Iran, including the introduction of new political concepts and its effects on religious scholars was raised gradually. In such a situation, a range of scholars, especially the Shia jurisprudents in Iran, according to rationality laid in the new-emerging and Western ideas, reacted positively and sympathetically. The process can be mentioned as the beginning of religious novelty-thinking. The culmination of this process is the constitutional movement and the defense of some of the Shiite scholars such as Akhund Khorasani, Abdollah Mazandarani, Mirza Naeini and Sheikh Isma'il Mahalati. Their efforts to adapt Western thoughts with Islamic jurisprudence led to the presentation of a draft constitutional rule that was consistent with the principles of religious law. The present study, with a brief overview of the evolutionary process in the constitutional-seeking era, and the emphasis on the position of Sheikh Isma'il Mahallati, has sought to present an appropriate and, even though a limited, vision