Regional Planning
Seyed Amin Mansouri; Seyed Morteza Afghah; Masood Khodapanah; Fateme Mombeini
Abstract
Measuring the level of economic development in the counties of Khuzestan Province is essential due to the region’s cultural, economic, and environmental significance. Such an evaluation can aid policymakers, researchers, and local communities in making informed decisions about policy design, resource ...
Read More
Measuring the level of economic development in the counties of Khuzestan Province is essential due to the region’s cultural, economic, and environmental significance. Such an evaluation can aid policymakers, researchers, and local communities in making informed decisions about policy design, resource management, and planning. It also helps identify the underlying causes of economic disparities and promotes efforts to enhance the region’s economic resilience and sustainability. By identifying underperforming sectors, measuring economic development guides the formulation of targeted policies aimed at fostering a more diversified and resilient economy. The present research used the numerical taxonomy method and urban economic components in order to measure and compare the levels of development across the counties of Khuzestan Province in 2017 and 2020. A total of 65 indices were used, spanning a wide range of development dimensions, including agriculture, housing and welfare services, industry, education, health and medical services, macroeconomic performance, infrastructure and physical assets, and urban economy metrics. In 2017, Abadan, Ahvaz, and Shushtar ranked as the most developed counties, while Andika, Shadegan, and Haftkel ranked lowest. By 2020, Ahvaz and Abadan maintained their economic leadership; Behbahan and Dezful excelled in education; Mahshahr led in industry; and Dezful stood out in agriculture. Abadan was also the pioneer in healthcare services. These findings highlighted both progress in certain counties and the need for increased attention and support in others.IntroductionThe Human Development Report on Iran highlights significant regional disparities among provinces in terms of human development levels. Contrary to the convergence theory-which predicts a reduction in regional imbalances-these disparities have not diminished. In fact, the coefficient of dispersion among the studied units has increased. Measuring the level of economic development in the counties of Khuzestan Province is a critical scholarly endeavor with far-reaching implications for regional policy, resource allocation, and the overall well-being of its population. Located in southwestern Iran, Khuzestan Province is notable for its rich cultural heritage, economic significance, and environmental diversity. As such, a comprehensive assessment of the province’s economic development is essential for various stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, and local communities. First, measuring economic development in Khuzestan provides a foundation for informed policymaking and effective resource management. By systematically collecting data on key economic indicators (e.g., employment rates and industrial growth), local and national governments can more effectively prioritize and implement development plans. This enables them to address inequalities and allocate resources to areas most in need. Moreover, assessing the economic development of Khuzestan’s counties is crucial for identifying the causes of deep economic disparities. It also plays a pivotal role in improving the resilience and sustainability of the region’s economy. Khuzestan Province faces specific challenges, including dependency on the oil industry, water resource management, and industrial diversification. Assessing economic development helps pinpoint vulnerable sectors and informs the formulation of targeted policies aimed at creating a more diverse and resilient economy. In general, measuring the economic development of Khuzestan’s counties is a multifaceted and essential task that can help informed decision-making, equitable economic growth, sustainability, and enhances the overall well-being of the population. In this respect, the current research aimed to assess the development levels of Khuzestan’s counties in 2017 and 2020. Materials and MethodsThis study used the numerical taxonomy method and urban economic components in order to conduct a comparative assessment of the levels of development across the counties of Khuzestan Province in 2017 and 2020. Results and DiscussionThe ranking results from 2017 indicated that Ahvaz was the most developed county in terms of education, healthcare, urban economy, and infrastructure. Mahshahr ranked highest in industry and economy, while Dezful was the most developed in agriculture. Other counties such as Behbahan, Abadan, Ramhormoz, Masjed Soleyman, and Shushtar also showed significant development in some specific indicators. By 2020, there were notable changes in the development rankings. Ahvaz and Abadan emerged as leaders in economic development, while Behbahan and Dezful led in education. Mahshahr maintained its leading position in the industrial sector, and Dezful continued to be the top county in agriculture. In terms of housing, welfare services, and infrastructure, Abadan, Behbahan, Dezful, Mahshahr, and Ahvaz ranked highest. Abadan took the lead in healthcare development. Regarding urban economy, Dezful, Ahvaz, Abadan, Shushtar, Ramhormoz, and Behbahan were among the leading counties. Furthermore, Shushtar, Ramhormoz, Ahvaz, Behbahan, Abadan, Khorramshahr, Izeh, Dezful, Omidieh, Mahshahr, and Masjed Soleyman showed notable development in infrastructure and physical indices. This analysis reflects the shifts, progress, and in some cases, regression in development indicators across the counties between 2017 and 2020. ConclusionCounties such as Ahvaz and Abadan, which have performed well in the economic and healthcare sectors, can capitalize on these strengths to promote development in other areas. Infrastructure development plays a key role in regional development; counties that are already developed in this regard can serve as examples for those that are less developed. Strategic investments in infrastructure can lead to improvements across other development indicators as well. Education is another critical area where improvement can yield significant benefits. In counties that are underperforming educationally, implementing educational programs and expanding access to educational resources can be beneficial. Similarly, enhancing healthcare services in counties with poor performance in this sector can directly contribute to a better quality of life and improved public welfare. Supporting agriculture and local industries is also essential. Counties with agricultural or industrial potential can boost their productivity and development outcomes through financial aid and technical support. Finally, achieving balanced development is crucial. Addressing existing inequalities and planning for balanced development across all counties can reduce disparities and improve the overall regional development.AcknowledgementsWe hereby express our gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for Research Affairs at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, who assisted the authors in conducting this research.Conflict of interestThe authors of the article declare that there is no conflict of interest in publishing the presented article.FundingThis article is part of Fatemeh Mombeini’s master’s thesis in economics, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Seyed Amin Mansouri and Dr. Seyed Morteza Afghah at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. It was sponsored by the Vice-Chancellor for Research Affairs at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz under Grant No. SCU.EE1403.30460.
Energy Economy
Aida Vaghef; Zahra Abdolmohammadi
Abstract
In oil-exporting countries, it is important to have a clear evaluation of the oil sector at the national and regional levels. In input-output literature, the traditional and extraction methods are often used to analyze the status of economic sectors. These methods have two major shortcomings: double-counting ...
Read More
In oil-exporting countries, it is important to have a clear evaluation of the oil sector at the national and regional levels. In input-output literature, the traditional and extraction methods are often used to analyze the status of economic sectors. These methods have two major shortcomings: double-counting of linkages and having a flaw to show the changes in income of the labor. In this paper, to overcome these shortcomings and to provide a more realistic picture of the status of the oil sector at national and regional levels, a comparative comparison has been used between Iran and Canada focusing on their two major oil-exporting provinces, Khuzestan and Alberta. For this purpose, the production-to-production approach based on the Sraffa-Pasinetti-Leontief theoretical model which its main concept is the induced effect of value-added will be used. The results show that the oil sector creates 0.0435 and 0.0372 units of induced value-added in Iran and Khuzestan. In Canada and Alberta the corresponding figures are 0.3173 and 0.4382. Therefore, this sector has more interdependency with the other sectors in both national and regional levels in Canada (as a well-developed country) than Iran (as a developing country). However, services and industry sectors absorbed more decomposed induced value-added of the oil sector in comparison to other sectors. Therefore, national and regional policies should be implemented to have diversified products and prepare the requirement of having the most of interdependency prerequisites between the sectors.
Mohammad Reza Pakravan-Charvadeh; Seyyed Safdar Hosseini; Saeed Nori Naeini
Abstract
Improving food security status through socio-economic determinants is always important at the household level. In this study, after assessing the food security level of households in urban and rural areas of Khuzestan province, associated factors including economic, social, and racial ...
Read More
Improving food security status through socio-economic determinants is always important at the household level. In this study, after assessing the food security level of households in urban and rural areas of Khuzestan province, associated factors including economic, social, and racial with food security were identified in 1397. To achieve the goals, 1876 and 1495 questionnaires were collected in urban and rural areas respectively. The logistic regression model was used to identify effective factors. The results showed that 63 % and 68 % of households in urban and rural areas face food insecurity respectively. Hamidiyeh county with 18 %, Omidieh 25 % , and Dezful 28 % had the least percent of food secured households in the urban areas of Khuzestan province, respectively. Also, the cities of Shadegan with 13 %, Izeh with 15 %, and Mahshahr port with 18 % had the least percent of food security households in rural areas, respectively. The results of the quantitative estimated model in the present study showed that employment of the head of the household, income, number of rooms and personal car ownership were significantly and directly associated with food security in urban and rural areas of Khuzestan province. Therefore, due to the weakness of income policies which are applying as the only ways to ameliorate food security status in Iran, paying close attention to socio-economic factors related to improving the level of household food security before any intervention is necessary.
Seyed Aziz Arman; Nahid Kord Zangeneh
Volume 9, Issue 30 , April 2007, , Pages 93-118
Abstract
This paper analyzes the industrial activities and their actual comparative advantages in Khuzestan province using two digits ISIC cods and DRC criterion for the period 1377-82 (1998-2003). The results show that international competitiveness of industrial activities has been improved since 1381, the time ...
Read More
This paper analyzes the industrial activities and their actual comparative advantages in Khuzestan province using two digits ISIC cods and DRC criterion for the period 1377-82 (1998-2003). The results show that international competitiveness of industrial activities has been improved since 1381, the time of implementation of exchange rate unification and relative economic liberalization policies in Iran.
This paper also suggests a simple decomposition of DRC measure to isolate the determinant elements of international competitiveness of some industrial activities under consideration. These elements are: (1) government intervention in economy, (2) factor cost, (3) factor proportions and (4) total factor productivity. The results imply that alleviation of the size of government interventions in economy has the most important role in improving the competitiveness of industrial activities in most cases.
Mansour Zerra Nezhad; Sohrab Noroozani
Volume 7, Issue 25 , February 2006, , Pages 175-190
Abstract
This paper deals with estimation and analysis of demand for labour in Khuzestan's manufacturing. First, we estimate the stock of capital applying exponential trend method. Employing Johansen’s approach, the research investigates the long-run effect of significant determinants on demand for labour ...
Read More
This paper deals with estimation and analysis of demand for labour in Khuzestan's manufacturing. First, we estimate the stock of capital applying exponential trend method. Employing Johansen’s approach, the research investigates the long-run effect of significant determinants on demand for labour in Khuzestan’s manufacturing for the period 1966-2002. The findings indicate that in the long run, stock of capital and productivity of capital affect positively the demand for labour, while the average capital has negative effect. The result also shows that the error correction term is negative and less than one (-0.95) indicating that the speed of adjustment toward equilibrium in response to deviations from the long-run equilibrium is very high.
Mansour Zerra Nezhad; Behrooz Ghanadi
Volume 7, Issue 24 , October 2005, , Pages 33-52
Abstract
This paper aims to estimate labour productivity in Khuzestan's industries during 1971-2001. To this end a generalized Cob-Douglas model is applied in which capital stock, gap between actual and potential output and research cost are independent variables. Since the data on the fist two variables were ...
Read More
This paper aims to estimate labour productivity in Khuzestan's industries during 1971-2001. To this end a generalized Cob-Douglas model is applied in which capital stock, gap between actual and potential output and research cost are independent variables. Since the data on the fist two variables were not available, two methods, i.e., exponential trend of investment and Intriligator method, were applied to generate them. The findings of the research show that labour productivity has direct relationship with capital stock as well as research cost, but indirect relationship with output gap.
Mansour Zerra Nezhad; Mehran Larki Bakhtiari Nezhad
Volume 6, Issue 19 , July 2004, , Pages 117-141
Abstract
Due to the importance of production of pipes in oil and gas industries, the estimation of oil and gas pipe production function is of great interest. To this end, Ahvaz pipe mill, the largest pipe mill in Iran, has been chosen as a case study and its production function during 1979-2003 has been estimated. ...
Read More
Due to the importance of production of pipes in oil and gas industries, the estimation of oil and gas pipe production function is of great interest. To this end, Ahvaz pipe mill, the largest pipe mill in Iran, has been chosen as a case study and its production function during 1979-2003 has been estimated. This estimation is based on time-series techniques, using unit root tests, cointegration and error correction models. The results suggest that Cobb-Douglas production function is more compatible with theory of production function & the data than alternative specifications. The imperical findings show that the error correction term is 0.96, labour elastisity and capital elastistiy are 0.58 and 0.53, respectively. The wald test result indicate that there is increasing return to scale.
