The dismantling of reform policies in the Iranian energy sector

Iran is a natural-based resource economy and energy consumption is inefficient. The government in different periods has attempted to implement policies for reforming inefficiency in the energy sector. The facts indicate that inefficiency in the Iranian energy sector is a serious issue and dismantling phenomenon is seen in the energy policies. Policy dismantling in the energy sector is a recent phenomenon that little attention has been put on implementing reform policies in this sector. Thus, focusing on the dismantling of reform energy policies in Iran helps to understand the reasons for the failure of these policies. In this paper, an adapted framework was used for analyzing policy dismantling in the plan of Iranian targeting subsidies for the energy sector. We found how interactions between political economy, policy design, institutional constraints, and external factors (e.g., sanctions) influence policy dismantling in energy reform policies under targeting subsidies plan. On the base of results, we suggested some policies for effective designing and implementing energy reform policies for developing economies such as Iran.