Measuring and Ranking the Index of Development Opportunities in the Provinces of Iran | ||
| پژوهشهای اقتصادی ایران | ||
| Article 4, Volume 28, Issue 94, April 2023, Pages 127-174 PDF (1.59 M) | ||
| Document Type: Research Paper | ||
| DOI: 10.22054/ijer.2023.69526.1130 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Bahareh Karami1; Azad Khanzadi* 2; Ali Falahati3; Mohammad Sharif Karimi4 | ||
| 1Ph. D. Candidate in Economics, Razi University, kermanshah, Iran | ||
| 2Assistant Professor in Economics, Razi University, kermanshah, Iran | ||
| 3Associate Professor in Economics, Razi University | ||
| 4Associate Professor in Economics, Razi University, kermanshah, Iran | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Equality of development opportunities is one of the socio-economic goals and a basic prerequisite for achieving economic stability and integrated progress in a country. In the present research, 69 development indicators related to cultural-social, educational, infrastructure, health-treatment, environmental and economic sectors were analyzed to identify and compare the development opportunities of 30 provinces of Iran. Shannon's entropy method was used to determine the weights of the indicators and the TOPSIS method was used to rank the provinces in terms of access to the opportunities of each sector. Finally, by using the taxonomy technique, the degree of enjoyment of the provinces from a total of six opportunities was evaluated. The results show that there is a deep gap in the distribution and allocation of facilities and opportunities among the provinces of the country. Tehran province was the most privileged and Kurdistan, South Khorasan, Lorestan, West Azerbaijan and North Khorasan provinces were determined as the most deprived provinces. Based on significant difference among provinces, it is recommended that the priorities of the budget allocation be determined according to the degrees of benefits for the provinces. Introduction The growth and development of regions is condemned to be asynchronous; unequal and unbalanced development of different regions is one of the main challenges in most countries and economics. Due to many geographical, demographic and economic factors, Iran is prone to all kinds of regional inequalities and imbalances and is by no means an exception. The lack of balance among the provinces of a country can cause many harms, including damage to national unity, income gap, and limited areas enjoying the desired level of development and intensifying deprivation in other areas, immigration, geographic density, poverty, injustice and finally stopping development in all dimensions. The basic question that regional economic theorists try to answer is why some regions are more developed and growing faster than others and some are declining. In response to this controversial question, it is necessary to mention that the regional difference can be seen as a clear manifestation of the lack of equal access to opportunities, because inequalities are largely rooted in unequal opportunities. Therefore, the way of allocating resources and opportunities in societies is one of the important factors determining the distribution pattern of their growth and development. Methods and material The purpose of this study is to investigate, identify and analyze the situation of Iran provinces in terms of development opportunities during the period of 2006-2019. For this purpose, it is tried to calculate the index of development opportunities by using a comprehensive set of development indicators that are closely related to equal opportunities and also we use multi-criteria decision-making method, and then the provinces of Iran according to the degree of prosperity are ranked and classified. We also combine the sub-indices to make one-dimensional indices, by using TOPSIS technique with weighted entropy for six main indices; These indicators are: 1. Socio-cultural dimension, 2. Economic dimension, 3. Health-treatment dimension, 4. Infrastructural dimension, 5. Educational dimension and 6. Environmental dimension. Then, by using Taxonomy method, we combine six indices, to separate and grade provinces into five homogeneous groups based on the level of access to development opportunities.The statistical population includes all provinces of Iran (thirty provinces including Alborz province in Tehran province). The data has been extracted from the most important database of the country, namely the portal of the Statistical Center of Iran, while the time period has been limited according to the availability of provincial data. Results and Discussion The findings of the research show that Tehran province has the highest development opportunities among the provinces of the country. This province ranks first in the ranking of provinces in terms of educational, health, economic and cultural-social indicators, third in infrastructure and sixth in environmental indicators. Meanwhile, the seventeen provinces of Iran including Hamedan, Markazi, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Yazd, Golestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Zanjan, Kermanshah, Ardabil, Ilam, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchistan, Kurdistan, South Khorasan, Lorestan, West Azerbaijan and North Khorasan has been placed in the category of underprivileged or very underprivileged provinces in terms of development opportunities gains.It seems that advantages such as access to appropriate infrastructure like communication, physical and information networks, commercial services, proximity to skilled labor markets and competitive enterprises, as well as the ability to access research institutions have a great role in Tehran province situation compared to other provinces. Conclusion The results showed that the hypothesis of uneven distribution of various facilities and services among the provinces of the country is confirmed, In other words, there are significant differences among the different provinces of the country in terms of development opportunities. Therefore, it is suggested to policy makers and planners to pay attention to the research done on regional opportunities and in their policies and orientations, and in addition to national approaches, consider regional development approaches by prioritizing provinces based on the degree of development and the level of prosperity, in the framework of planning based on land use. It is also suggested that in future studies, considering the scope of the concept of development opportunities and the quantitative and qualitative indicators of this category, these indicators be extended further so that more useful information is available to planners and policy makers in order to eliminate imbalances. | ||
| References | ||
|
Abounoori, E. & Mohammadi, A. R. (2017). Measuring human opportunity index in education for IR Iran. Quarterly Journal of Family and Research, 14(3), 67-90. [In Persian]. http://dorl. net/dor/20. 1001.1.26766728.1396. 14.3.4.9 Alesina, A. & La Ferrara, E. (2005). Preferences for redistribution in the land of opportunities. Journal of Public Economics, 89(5-6), 897-931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jpubeco.2004.05.009 Ansari Samani, H. & Khilkordi, R. (2019). Unemployment and income inequality in Iran provinces. Iranian Journal of Economic Research, 24(81), 157-186. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22054/ijer.2019.11689 Armstrong, H. W. & Taylor, J. (2000). Regional economics and policy, 3rd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell US. ISBN: 0-631-21713-4 Arneson, R. (1989). Equality and equal opportunity for welfare. Philosophical Studies, 56(1), 77-93. https://www. jstor. org/stable/4320032 Azouji, A. E. (2011). Measurement and analysis of regional labor market inequalities in the 4th development plan. The Journal of Planning and Budgeting, 16(2), 83-106. [In Persian]. http://dorl. net/dor/20.1001.1. 22519092.1390.16.2.4.9 Bakour, C. & Abahamid, M. Y. (2019). Regional disparities in development in Morocco: Statistical analyses using dispersion indicators and multidimensional techniques. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen. de/id/eprint/97105 Baykoç, N., Aydemir, D. & Uyaroğlu, B. (2014). Inequality in educational opportunities of gifted and talented children in Türkiye. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 143, 1133-1138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. sbspro. 2014. 07. 566 Blowers, A. & Leroy, P. (1994). Power, politics and environmental inequality: a theoretical and empirical analysis of the process of ‘peripheralisation’. Environmental politics, 3(2), 197-228. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644019408414139 Bouyssou, D., Marchant, T., Pirlot, M., Perny, P., Tsoukias, A. & Vincke, P. (2000). Evaluation and decision models: a critical perspective (Vol. 32). Springer Science & Business Media. Breau, S. (2015). Rising inequality in Canada: A regional perspective. Applied Geography, 61, 58-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. apgeog. 2014. 11. 010 Brunori, P., Ferreira, F. H. & Peragine, V. (2013). Inequality of opportunity, income inequality, and economic mobility: Some international comparisons (pp. 85-115). Palgrave Macmillan US. Calderón, C. & Chong, A. (2004). Volume and quality of infrastructure and the distribution of income: an empirical investigation. Review of Income and Wealth, 50(1), 87-106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0034-6586.2004. 00113.x Checchi, D. & Peragine, V. (2005). Regional disparities and inequality of opportunity: the case of Italy. IZA Discussion Paper No. 1874, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=869006 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn. 869006 Cohen, G. A. (1989). On the currency of egalitarian justice. Ethics, 99(4), 906-944. https://doi.org/10.1086/293126 Daliri, H. & Mehregan, N. (2016). Measuring sustainable development in the Provinces of Iran by using the ecological footprint. Journal Of Economics and Regional Development, 23(11), 1-47. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22067/erd. v23i11. 53742 Dunnzlaff, L., Neumann, D., Niehues, J. & Peichl, A. (2011). Equality of opportunity and redistribution in Europe. In inequality of opportunity: theory and measurement. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Bingley, pp. 99-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1049-2585(2011)0000019008 Dworkin, R. (1981a). What is equality? Part 1: Equality of welfare. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 10(3), 185-246. https://www.jstor. org/stable/2264894 Dworkin, R. (1981b). What is equality? Part 2: equality of resources. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 10(4), 283-345. https://www.jstor. org/stable/2265047 Eskandari Ata, M. R., Mehregan, N., Pourfaraj, A. & Karimi Petanlar, S. (2020). Spatial analyses of regional inequality with emphasis on environmental and political factors. Journal Of Economics and Regional Development, 26(18), 197-220. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22067/erd. v26i18. 72081 Fadaee, M. & Nayeri, S. (2010). Effects of selected cultural indicators on economic growth of Iran (ARDL approach). Quarterly Journal of Economic Growth and Development Research, 1(1), 159-133. [In Persian]. https://dorl. net/dor/20.1001.1.22285954.1389.1.1.6.0 Fan, S., Jitsuchon, S. & Methakunnavut, N. (2004). The importance of public investment for reducing rural poverty in middle-income countries: the case of Thailand (No. 580-2016-39362). International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Firouzabadi, S., Hosseini, S. & Ghasemi, R. (2010). The provinces social development and its relation to social capital. Social Welfare Quarterly, 10(37), 57-93. [In Persian]. http://refahj. uswr. ac. ir/article-1-307-en. html Ghaderi, S., Khanzadi, A. & Karimi, M. S. (2021). Evaluating and analyzing the effects of green tax policy enforcement on renewable energies development in Iran. Journal of Development and Capital, 5(2), 105-121. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22103/jdc.2021.16522.1105 Haddad, E. A. (2018). Regional inequality and structural changes: lessons from the Brazilian experience. (1st ed. ). Routledge. London https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429449406 Hilhorst, J. G. (1971). Factors of regional development. Development and Change, 2(3), 22-44. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.1971.tb00334. x Kanbur, R. & Venables, A. J. (Eds. ). (2005). Spatial inequality and development. OUP Oxford. Kazemi, A., Rezapoor, A., Faradonbeh, S. B., Nakhaei, M. & Ghazanfari, S. (2015). Study the development level of provinces in Iran: a focus on health indicators. Journal of Health Administration (JHA), 18(59), 29-42. [In Persian]. http://jha. iums. ac. ir/article-1-1598-en. html Khalili Araghi, M., Kabiri Renani, M. & Nobahar, E. (2018). Investigating the effects of different kinds of infrastructures on income distributions of provinces in Iran: A generalized method of moment approach. Quarterly Journal of Applied Theories of Economics, 4(4), 119-142. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22059/ier.2018.66158 Khanzadi, A., Ghaderi Siahbidi, E. & Najafi, M, B. (2017, May 03-04). Equal distribution of opportunities and reduce inequality in Iran (A comparative analysis in nine regions). The First International Conference on Economic Planning, Sustainable and Balanced Regional Development; Approaches and Applications. University of Kurdistan & Sulaimani polytechnic University. [In Persian] Kranich, L. (1996). Equitable opportunities: an axiomatic approach. Journal of Economic Theory, 71(1), 131-147. https://doi.org/10.1006/jeth.1996. 0112 Lefranc, A., Pistolesi, N. & Trannoy, A. (2008). Inequality of opportunities vs. inequality of outcomes: Are Western societies all alike?. Review of income and wealth, 54(4), 513-546. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4991. 2008.00289.x Li, G. & Fang, C. (2014). Analyzing the multi-mechanism of regional inequality in China. The Annals of Regional Science, 52(1), 155-182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-013-0580-2 Lin, H. T. (2010). Fuzzy application in service quality analysis: an empirical study. Expert systems with Applications, 37(1), 517-526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2009.05.030 Marrero, G. A. & Rodríguez, J. G. (2013). Inequality of opportunity and growth. Journal of development Economics, 104, 107-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jdeveco.2013.05.004 Miszczak, K. (2020). Opportunities and threats for regional development in contemporary socio-economic space. Biblioteka Regionalisty, (20). 90-108. https://doi.org/10.15611/br.2020.1.08 Mortazavi Kakhki, M. (2013). Implications of Islamic view on the regional equality of opportunities and income: general equilibrium modeling for Iran. Journal of Economics and Regional Development, 20(5), 69-95. [In Persian]. https://mpra. ub. uni-muenchen. de/id/eprint/95822 Myrdal, G. (1957). Economic theory and underdeveloped regions, london, gerald duckworth & comp. the United States under the title rich lands and poor. New York: Har-per. Nazmfar, H. & Alibakshi, A. (2014). Assess the the spatial development of regional inequality (case study: the Khuzestan province). Spatial Planning, 4(3), 99-114. [In Persian]. https://dorl. net/dor/20.1001.1.22287485.1393. 4.3.6.4 Nichols, A. (2010). Income inequality, volatility, and mobility risk in China and the US. China Economic Review, 21, S3-S11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2010.05.004 Nuñez, J. & Tartakowsky, A. (2007). Inequality of outcomes vs. inequality of opportunities in a developing country. an exploratory analysis for Chile. Estudios de economía, 34(2), 185-202. http://www. redalyc. org/articulo. oa?id=22134204 Partal Gajardo, C. I. (2016). Inequality and its impact on development. Available on https://dugi-doc. udg. edu/handle/10256/13887 Peragine, V. & Biagi, F. (2019). Equality of opportunity: theory, measurement and policy implications. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union., https://doi.org/10.2760/640390 Perroux, F. (1955). Note sur la notion de pôle de croissance. Economie Appliqée 8: 307-320; translated in Livingston I (ed) (1971). Economic Policy for Development, Penguin, Harmondsworth. 278-289. Pourfaraj, A., Mehregan, N., Karimi Potanlar, S. & Eskandariata, M. R. (2019). Regional inequality in Iran and the impact of economic factors: A spatial econometric approach. Iranian Economic Review, 23(2), 297-318. https://doi.org/10.22059/ier.2019.70279 Prieto, L. M., Flacke, J., Aguero-Valverde, J. & Van Maarseveen, M. (2018). Measuring inequality of opportunity in access to quality basic education: A case study in Florida, US. ISPRS international journal of geo-information, 7(12), 465. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi7120465 Rae, M. (2006). Health inequalities: a sustainable development issue. Publ. Hlth (London), 1106-1109. Raghfar, H., Mousavi, M. & Azari Beni, B. (2013). Inequality in educational opportunities based on income for generations in Iran. Iranian Journal of Economic Research, 18(56), 41-71. [In Persian] https://ijer. atu. ac. ir/article_110_08a38493763e4ead06e14ae3ceca1cd8. pdf Ramos, X. & Van de Gaer, D. (2016). Approaches to inequality of opportunity: Principles, measures and evidence. Journal of Economic Surveys, 30(5), 855-883. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12121 Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Harvard University Press, Cambridge: Massachusetts. Richardson, H. W. (1978). Growth centers, rural development and national urban policy: a defense. International Regional Science Review, 3(2), 133-152. https://doi.org/10.1177/016001767800300203 Roemer, J. E. (1993). A pragmatic theory of responsibility for the egalitarian planner. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 22(2), 146-166. https://www.jstor. org/stable/2265444 Roemer, J. E. (1998). Equality of opportunity. Harvard University Press. Cambridge: Massachusetts Rosa Dias, P. (2010). Modelling opportunity in health under partial observability of circumstances. Health economics, 19(3), 252-264. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.1584 Safaei Pour, M. & Maveddat, E. (2013). Assessment of areas with an emphasis on social indicators-economic and human development indicators in combination with the use of GIS techniques and TOPSIS. Urban Structure and Function Studies, 1(3), 11-27. [In Persian]. https://shahr. journals. umz. ac. ir/article_703_e5502c874a4a49e3819ebafb9319b802. pdf Salehi, M. J. (2018). Ranking Iran's provinces based on human development and human capital indices. Quarterly Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education, 24(1), 27-49. [In Persian]. http://journal. irphe. ac. ir/article-1-3696-en. html Sardoc, M. (2016). Equality of opportunity, cultural diversity and claims for fairness. CEPS Journal, 6(2), 25-41. https://doi.org/10.25656/01: 12292 Sen, A. (1973). On economic inequality. Oxford University Press. Sen, A. K. (1985). Commodities and capabilities. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers. Sharma, K. (2003). Factors determining India’s export performance. Journal of Asian Economics, 14(3), 435-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1049-0078(03)00036-8 ShirKarami, J. & Bakhtiar, P. S. (2014). Evaluating educational inequalities in attaining educational opportunities: a case study of dehloran’s elementary schools in the academic year 2011-2012. Instruction and evalution, 7(26), 41-58. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.22089/res. 2019. 7156. 1634 Shojaei, P., Ghanbarzadegan, A., Najibi, M. & Bastani, P. (2020). Ranking of Iranian provinces based on healthcare infrastructures: before and after implementation of Health Transformation Plan. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 18(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-020-0204-5 Smith, P. C. (2008). Resource allocation and purchasing in the health sector: the English experience. Bulletin of the world Health Organization, 86(11), 884-888. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT. 07. 049528 Soliyev, I. I. & Ganiev, B. B. (2021). Key factors influencing economic development. European Journal of Research Development and Sustainability, 2(3), 12-16. https://www. scholarzest. com Tahari Mehrjardi, M. H., Babaei Mybodi, H. & Morovati Sharifabadi, A. (2012). Investigation and ranking of Iranian provinces in terms of access to health sector indicators. Health Information Management, 9(3), 356-369. [In Persian]. https://him. mui. ac. ir/article_11167_1b6d3bf364964b703d04278e2b9ddbdb. pdf Tavakolinia, J. & Shali, M. (2012). Regional disparities in Iran. Journal of Environmental-based Territorial Planning (JETP), (18), 1-16. [In Persian] Venables, A. J. (2005). Spatial disparities in developing countries: cities, regions, and international trade. Journal of Economic Geography, 5(1), 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnlecg/lbh051 Vergolini, L. (2016). Social inequalities in higher education participation in a period of educational reforms and economic recession: evidence from an Italian province (No. 2016-07). Research Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies (IRVAPP), Bruno Kessler Foundation. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG. 2. 1. 2881. 4969 Wasim, S. & Munir, K. (2017). Regional disparity and decentralization in Pakistan: a decomposition analysis. https://mpra. ub. uni-muenchen. de/83444/ Weymark, J. A. (2003). Generalized Gini indices of equality of opportunity. The Journal of Economic Inequality, 1(1), 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1023/A: 1023923807503 Williamson, J. G. (1965). Regional inequality and the process of national development: a description of the patterns. Economic development and cultural change, 13(4, Part 2), 1-84. https://doi.org/10.1086/450136 Winkler, A. (2012). Measuring regional inequality: an index of socio-economic pressure for Serbia. Zbornik radova-Geografski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, (60), 81-102. https://www. researchgate. net/publication/275029278_Measuring_Regional_Inequality_An_Index_of_Socio-Economic_Pressure_for_Serbia World Economic Forum. (2020). The Global Social Mobility Report 2020 Equality, Opportunity and a New Economic Imperative. Cologny: World Economic Forum. World Health Organization. (2007). Everybody's business--strengthening health systems to improve health outcomes: Who's framework for action. Yu, L., Hou, X., Gao, M. & Shi, P. (2010). Assessment of coastal zone sustainable development: a case study of Yantai, China. Ecological Indicators, 10(6), 1218-1225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2010.04.003 Zabelina, I. (2021). Interregional inequality in environmental and economic development in the Russian Federation. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 258, p. 06013). EDP Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202125806013 Zhao, J., Guo, D., Wang, J., Yang, Z. & Zhang, H. (2018). Examining the association of economic development with intercity multimodal transport demand in china: a focus on spatial autoregressive analysis. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 7(2), 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi7020056 | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 1,422 PDF Download: 887 |
||