Book excerpt: The Political Environment of Economic Planning in Iran, 1971-1983: From Monarchy to Islamic Republic Hossein Razavi and Firouz Vakil Based on both research and first-hand experience, this book provides a politico-economic analysis of the operation of Iran's economy before and after the revolution of February 1979. The authors discuss the function and effectiveness of economic planning during the shah's tenure and relate the shortcomings of plan preparation and implementation to the explosive psycho-economic instability of the regime. They then discuss the institutional problems that the revolutionary regime has been facing in operating the economy and foresee the possible consequences of its failure to appropriately deal with these problems. Finally, analyzing the economic postures of important opposition groups, the authors outline future prospects for economic planning in Iran.