Economics: A Bone of Contention

Economics is a stranger in Iran. 
As a science, it is a source of dispute between those who don’t see economics as a field of science and analyze economic problems through an ideological angle, and those who try to inject rationality in the economic policymaking. 
Hossein Haqgou, an economist, prefaced his write-up for the Persian daily Shargh with this note. Below is a translation of the text:
Sadly, economics has no place in the Iranian governance; it remains on the periphery of politics. Governments believe that they do not need the science of economics and problems could be solved by issuing directives. Even a large group of intellectuals undervalue economics and complain about little attention that has been directed toward it in recent years.