Geographies of exclusion: mapping the political economy of minoritized nations in Iran

This article analyzes the socioeconomic factors influencing levels of economic well-being across Iran’s provinces, focusing on the impact of minority status, using data spanning 2015–2019. We employed a two-phased approach: first, we calculated welfare indices for each province and then assessed how minority status intersects with various socio-economic determinants to influence these indices. Findings reveal that minority groups, particularly the Baloch, Kurdish, and Sunni populations, are negatively correlated and have lower welfare outcomes not only within that province but also with the neighboring provinces. This correlation is pronounced in provinces with substantial minority populations, where lower welfare levels coincide with lesser access to essential services like healthcare, education, and robust infrastructure. The study also observes that these minority groups often reside in areas with underdeveloped infrastructure and higher unemployment rates. As shown, the paradoxical effects of higher education infrastructure expansion, which, despite increasing access to education, do not translate into economic productivity or gains in economic wellbeing due to the mismatch between educational attainment and labor market needs.