Industrialization in Iran: Health Provider or Health Remover?

Despite the importance of interaction between industrialization and health, this subject has not been studied sufficiently in Iran. In this regard, the aim of this study is investigating the impact of industrialization on health in Iranian provinces during 2009-13. The used data has been collected from the Statistical Centre of Iran and the National Organization for Civil Registration. The introduced indices have been combined using Standardized Score method for measuring the degree of industrialization and the levels of health in intended provinces. The interaction between industrialization and health has been tested by econometric panel data method. The results of this paper show that the Iranian provinces are not homogenous from industrialization and health perspectives. In addition there is no significant change in heterogeneity of provinces in terms of industrialization and health during the period of study. Also, the results reveal a significant and negative relationship between industrialization and health in Iranian provinces. This means that the industrialization process has reduced the health of provinces in Iran. So, in terms of policy, in addition to advantages of industrialization, its problems and disadvantages also should be taken into account. In the other words, paying attention to the external diseconomies of industrialization is necessary for successful implementation of industrial policies.