Inaugural Dr. G. Reza Moghadam Award: Massoud Karshenas

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: A free ticket is required but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first serve to those with tickets. Doors will open at 5:00 pm, seating begins 5:30 pm. Event will be in English.

Dr. Karshenas will deliver a talk titled "Women, Work, and Livelihoods in Iran: A Political Economy Perspective." The lecture will explore the political economy of women's labor market engagement in Iran, specifically the puzzle of low female labour force participation in contemporary Iran despite educational attainment, later marriage, declining fertility, and rising self-awareness. Applying a comparative-historical perspective informed by political economy, the lecture will survey trends in women’s labor market engagement, with some comparisons to other countries in the region and beyond. While cultural and religious explanations often dominate public discourse and some scholarly analyses, this lecture will challenge such reductionist views. Instead, it presents a more nuanced perspective, demonstrating how women's economic roles have evolved in response to the shifting political and economic landscape in ways that are both universal and uniquely Iranian. Building on insights from political economy literature, Dr. Karshenas' own research and observations over decades, and collaborations within academic and professional networks, he will examine the structural economic forces, policy decisions, and institutional frameworks that shape women's labor market engagement. This analysis aims to offer a deeper and more concrete understanding of the forces shaping women's work and livelihoods in Iran today.

Professor Massoud Karshenas is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at SOAS, University of London. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge, he has held academic positions at SOAS University of London, Warwick University, and the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. His expertise spans development economics, industrialization, social policy and labor, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa. He has served as an advisor to international organizations, including the UN and the ILO, and has published extensively on economic policy, social development, and labor markets.

The Dr. G. Reza Moghadam Award is presented to a scholar whose work has made a meaningful contribution to the study of Iran’s development and economy. The award honors the achievements of the recipient and recognizes the impact of their work in academia and in practice on promoting sustainable development and economic prosperity in Iran. The selection committee includes economists and scholars, inside and outside Iran, chaired by Stanford Professor of Economics John B. Taylor. The award is made possible by a generous gift from Hamid and Christina Moghadam in memory of Dr. G. Reza Moghadam.

Dr. G. Reza Moghadam (PhD ’56) was an Iranian economist who spent much of his life in service of development in Iran, as a scholar, a civil servant, and a banker. He received his PhD in economics from Stanford University in 1956 with a dissertation on Iran’s trade. Dr. Moghadam served in a variety of roles as an economist in Iran’s government, including as deputy secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iran, and the deputy director of the Plan Organization. After leaving the government, Dr. Moghadam joined his brother, Mohsen, to found the Development and Investment Bank of Iran and subsequently led it to become the largest private bank in Iran.

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Host or Publisher Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies