Cambridge University Press Iran's Reconstruction Jihad: Rural Development and Regime Consolidation after 1979

Based on over one hundred and thirty interviews with government officials, revolutionary activists, war veterans, and development experts, this is the first full length study in English to examine the significant yet understudied organization and ministry, Reconstruction Jihad, as a basis for understanding the political and social changes and continuities that have transpired in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) over the last four decades. Exploring the success of the Iranian revolution, the state's development policies, its overall resilience and the conflicting dynamics of its attempts to mobilize and institutionalize activists, Iran's Reconstruction Jihad is one of the few studies that adopts an institutionalist approach toward analyzing critical aspects of the IRI's history and politics, with comparative implications for analyzing revolutionary processes and outcomes across other geographic regions and time periods. Book Description The first full-length study to examine the significance of the critical but neglected Iranian organization and ministry, Reconstruction Jihad. About the Author Eric Lob is Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University. He received the 2014 Foundation for Iranian Studies annual award for best dissertation and honorable mention for the Association for Iranian Studies biannual Mashayekhi Dissertation Award. His research has been published in journals including IJMES, Iranian Studies, Middle East Critique, and The Middle East Journal. He is a Board of Trustees Member of AIIrS and a member of MESA.