Parviz Karami

Multilateral development is compatible with social justice. Social justice is possible in the light of the development. If the factory be active, if the export boom, if the science and technology become widespread, if the gross national product increases, class gap and unemployment become low and inflation will stop. Nothing justifies Economic injustice. No one and no rule accept that a few people have everything and enjoy everything but much more people live in poverty and do not enjoy anything.

In developing Iran in economic development process there are serious social and cultural problems that if we do not think of a solution soon the country will face with crisis. Promoting a culture of conspicuous consumption and passion for ostentation and pride among some high-income groups, in addition to have social and cultural harm, it will disrupt economic status and development. The wealth that does not cause an economic boom and wealth creation will turn into corruption and extend rent seeking and corruption, and brokering. Meanwhile, it will have unpleasant social-cultural effects on society and increase the class gap day by day. Of course judicial ways are used in prevention of corruption, but it will be better if before crime and corruption occurrence we do the real cure with continuity in cultural work and paying attention to social studies and activities. I mean,  by culture we should settle this issue that wealth creation with its right and legal ways is something valuable and creation job is charity and Godly. Of course any science and activity that lead to this, is accepted and pleasant and in contrary the money from rent seeking and brokering is risky and unpleasant and illicit. This level of cultural work is good and necessary and surely it will not be ineffective.  But prior to that we should reform out more general attitude and we should change our macro attitudes.

Before anything the problem is because of our definitions of concepts such as: Free market, capitalism, economic justice and social relations and government and nation. Even there is no unity in understanding of these concepts among the high-ranking mangers. It is not clear if when politic and economic managers say "wealth creation" they intended purpose is the same or not.  Or both of them are in common in understanding of the free market, the global economy and government shrinking.  This type of understanding the diversity does not necessarily return to ideological, philosophical, economic doctrine. Meanwhile executives are not expected to be the dominant on theoretical discussions or participate in university classes. But this is expected to control the situation, monitor everything to justice does not lead to injustice, production does not lead to brokering and the free market does not lead to rent-seeking and the economy does not get mix with financial and administrative corruptions. And terms such as knowledge-based, elites, does not turn into just some words and slogans.

Thirty-six years after the Islamic Revolution, we have experienced different periods and attitudes. We experienced both state-run economy and some free economy. But in all periods justice was emphasized and it was meant to lower the class gap and everyone do his share of duty. In action however we had successes; we have had repetitive failures too.  For our revolutionary society, even among the affluent classes, developing luxury and accumulating of wealth at any cost, shows our failure. Living the majority of low-income people in poverty shows that we failed in justice. Maybe in speeches and newspapers we can show the situation better that what it really is, but it would be enough to walk in Tehran, Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan and Khuzestan and Azerbaijan to see how much in problem and if we hesitate there is no guarantee to solve them.

Development is not a choice to make that some people want it some are ignoring it. Development is a necessity and there no escape from that in the modern world. But development pathways are not necessity and it would not be possible to choose them indifferent to faith, justice and idealistic issues. First we should see which development pathway coordinates with our culture in which does not and this lack of coordination how much will cost us and who or which group of people going to pay for it.

In this case attention to some other points would not be irrelevant. Entrepreneurship is serious and all groups and individuals are mentioning its necessity but the fact is we are still away from entrepreneurship ecosystem.  As long as we look to government as an eternal source of power and money and at any level we ask for its help entrepreneurship ecosystem will not begin. The number of private companies and even knowledge-based companies are not less but if all those companies going through government contracts, it is no different from being employee. Of course, at first that is not bad the government support the entrepreneurship ecosystem but if its all going back to government, nothing important going to happen. We should not also neglect the money issue. Maybe because of tradition of selling oil we think that if we don’t have money we cannot do anything.

Other oil sellers of religion have this belief too, even stronger. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia think that by money they can do anything and remove any obstacle. But experiences showed that courage and the will and needs and effort and knowledge are more valuable than money. Of course if money comes along other factors good things can happen. But if the money becomes everything, brings sluggishness and laziness in courage and will. Even with eye itself we can see that any kind of rich both oil seller or other rich groups are lazier and arrogant.

Next issue is importance of risk taking in entrepreneurship. Salaried incomes are safer and more secure in view of our people. We prefer less income rather than risk of making money. This is why in recent one hundred years families target was to employ their child in governmental jobs. Magnetic of government is still so strong that the private sector cannot compete with it. Today theoretically established that people should be plucked from the government, work together, and implement their ideas that do not expect to travel a centenary over a night. Even interest successful global patterns itself is a good sign, but in action there are still many obstacles and disadvantages and it Requires a national commitment and collective efforts to change our approach and open the doors of development by our own hands.

The Advisor to the Vice-President for Science and Technology