And here is the IMF 2 months ago approving of similar steps in Iran. Any riots will of course be described by the international press in approving terms, as they will be against Ahmaninajad.

Incidentally, the IMF article also gives a perfect justification for their work on nuclear energy, without actually saying so.

IMF Survey online: If Iran sold more oil and gas on international markets, would that generate a lot more revenue than if they sold it domestically?

Zytek: Yes. At such low prices, domestic demand for energy in Iran has grown very rapidly, and it is increasingly difficult to have energy resources available for export. With the price reform, you will dampen domestic demand, which means more efficient energy use domestically, more energy available for profitable exports, and higher revenues for the country.

Of course. That's almost always the motivation for handouts to the poor. But that doesn't mean that taking them away is good policy, unless one belongs to a school of thought that believes in motivating the poor to either revolution or docile slavery by making their lives as miserable as humanly possible.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.