A Political Economy Analysis of Changes and Continuities in Iran-Africa Trade Relations: A Case of South-South Dependency?

Review of Social Economy, Forthcoming

34 Pages Posted: 4 Jun 2024

See all articles by Eric Lob

Eric Lob

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hakan Yilmazkuday

Florida International University (FIU) - Department of Economics

Date Written: May 26, 2024

Abstract

This paper provides a political economy analysis of the bilateral trade relations and patterns of exchange that existed between Iran and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1962 to 2021. The paper contributes to the growing literature on Iran-Africa relations by empirically delineating not just the changes, but also the continuities between Iran and its African trading partners before and after the Iranian Revolution. It also adds nuance to the broader scholarship on South-South cooperation by showing the disparity between the rhetoric of South-South solidarity and reciprocity between Iran and SSA, on one side, and their low and fluctuating trade volumes, on the other. These volumes resulted from historical inertia or path dependency and structural factors, including trade complementarities and geopolitical conditions, more than demographic, cultural or religious realities. They were also shaped by the agency and decision-making of Iranian and African leaders and officials regarding the extent to economically engage with each other.

Keywords: Iran, Prebisch-Singer Hypothesis, South-South Cooperation, Sub-Saharan Africa, Trade Patterns

Suggested Citation

Lob, Eric and Yilmazkuday, Hakan, A Political Economy Analysis of Changes and Continuities in Iran-Africa Trade Relations: A Case of South-South Dependency? (May 26, 2024). Review of Social Economy, Forthcoming
, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4851703 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4851703

Eric Lob

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hakan Yilmazkuday (Contact Author)

Florida International University (FIU) - Department of Economics ( email )

11200 SW 8th Street
Miami, FL 33199
United States

HOME PAGE: http://faculty.fiu.edu/~hyilmazk/

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