Transition from Government Oil and Gas Rents to Universal Basic Income and Economic Growth (An Interdisciplinary Approach)

More than 113 years have passed since the gradual formation of "oil-gas Iran" since the drilling rig in the number one well of Masjed-e-Soliman reached oil on May 25, 1908. The fact is that during this period, on the one hand, the wealth and income of natural oil and gas resources were not necessarily "fairly" distributed among all Iranians who are the main owners of these resources; on the contrary, in many cases, they have been distributed among the influential groups in the form of unjust government rents, and on the other hand, these resources have not been used as they should be in the service of the country's economic growth. Given these two facts, the two main problems of this research are: 1) Based on which value theory can the wealth and income of oil and gas resources be more fairly distributed among all Iranians? 2) How can such a fairer distribution be used to achieve high and sustainable economic growth? The research method is that by examining the basic features of common support schemes and reviewing the value bases of such schemes in the form of several theories of justice and with the pathology of those schemes, the implementation of a basic income plan (UBI) which is financed mainly through wealth and revenue from oil and gas resources, defended as a fairer and more efficient plan than current support schemes. In the following, the different methods of financing this project and the mechanisms of its impact on economic growth are examined. Finally, it is argued that during a virtuous circle, on the one hand, a "universal basic income institution" in addition to eradicating poverty, can lead to high and sustainable economic growth, and on the other hand, how this economic growth can continuously increase the amount of UBI for the current generation and future generations.