A Comparative Study of Development Plans in Iran and South Korea during Last Four Decades with Emphasis on Economic and Political Development

This study aims to a comparative study of development plans of Iran and South Korea over the past four decades with an emphasis on economic and political development using comparative historical; research method. Theoretical framework is derived from Amartya Sen, Shils and Adrian Leftwich theories. Results of this study depict that under development approach of South Korea, priority has been considering development infrastructures, caring about educations and training workforce, caring about proper relationship between government and private sector, modification of monetary and financial systems appropriate to development, export promotion and development strategy. On the other hand, in Iran, the timing of the process of restoring stability and peace to the political arena is always a major obstacle to economic growth. The changes in political and ideological management, the definition and management of the economic system, the leap from the private economy to the state, have imposed massive fluctuations on the economy. For this reason, comparing the two countries studied, it can be concluded that Iran did not succeed in the process of economic-political development. In Iran, despite certain conditions, especially after the Islamic Revolution, events such as  the Iran-Iraq war; foreign pressures; the imposition of economic sanctions; the reduction of relations with foreign markets; and so on, appeared as barriers to development and caused Iran's failure in her developmental programs, while South Korea has been successful according to the accurate plans.