A special event titled The Short-Term Society: A Study in the Problems of Long-Term Political and Economic Development in Iran will be held with the participation of Homa Katouzian on May 8, 2021, at 5.30 pm Turkish time.

Homa Katouzian discusses the obstacles to the long-term development of Iran in his path-breaking article. He compares the Iranian state and society with some of the European countries and argues that Iran has been a short-term society since pre-modern times. According to Katozian, problems of legitimacy and succession, the tenuous nature of life and possessions, and problems of accumulation and development are the three main features of the short-term society.

Katouzian states that saving and investment are two prerequisites of development in any country. He shows that certain features of Iranian society made saving and investment impossible. In sum, Iran could not develop as much as Western European countries due to its traditional structure.