The Islamic Revolution should be considered one of the world’s social revolutions. The scope of changes resulting from social revolutions is vast and cannot be compared to political revolutions. These revolutions may set the trajectory for development in their countries, although this path may change based on experience or go through ups and downs. Accordingly, the present paper is aimed at examining the approach of the Islamic Republic to the issue of development in its first decade. This examination can show us how the leaders of the revolution viewed development and where we stand today in comparison to the 1980s. The research question is “from an institutional perspective, how can we analyze development policymaking in the first decade of the Islamic Republic?” The hypothesis presented in response to this question is “the post-revolutionary government, in its opposition to the previous political system, instead of defining development as economic growth, adopted a distributive approach and, within the framework of revolutionary ideals, focused on reducing inequalities and expanding welfare by establishing institutions such as the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, the Foundation of the Oppressed, health houses, the Construction Jihad, and the Foundation of the Oppressed. To explain this hypothesis, the current paper will use the “Basic Needs” theoretical framework. The research method will be institutional, with data collection conducted in a library-based manner.