Reports

Abstract An examination of the key hydro-meteorological indicators in the final quarter of the year 1402 [Jan–March 2024] indicates that the average precipitation during this period decreased compared to the same period last year and the long-term average; furthermore, the average air temperature of the country increased relative to the long-term winter average. The precipitation deficit, coupled with the temperature rise, has led to degrees of mild to severe drought across the country, leaving dam reservoirs in several provinces—including Razavi Khorasan, Fars, Kerman, and Markazi—in an unfavorable condition. Flash floods in late March in the southeast of the country led to an improvement in surface water reservoir levels in the southern half of Sistan and Baluchestan province, while the “Chahnimeh” reservoirs in the north of this province remained in a critical state. An investigation of the climatic conditions of neighboring countries also reveals that although regions of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Turkey experienced varying degrees of drought during the winter season, their overall conditions were more favorable than Iran’s in terms of drought extent and intensity. Regarding water sector credits, approximately 30% of the approved budget was allocated in the final quarter of the year 1402 [Jan–March 2024], which, considering the 45% allocation made by the end of autumn 1402 [Dec 2023], brings the total allocated credit for the water sector by the end of the past year to approximately 75%, representing a decrease of about 25% compared to the allocation made in the year 1401 [2022-2023].

Abstract South Korea, as a country with the experience of over three decades of authoritarian Japanese colonization and US military occupation, managed to create its cultural industry in the 1990s and build a global image after undergoing fluctuations in its political, economic, and cultural spheres. Today, the historical study of policy traditions in different countries is considered a useful resource for other nations to critically analyze strengths and weaknesses and design their ideal models suited to their own cultural ecosystems. To this end, this report first explains the importance of the national brand issue in cultural policymaking and subsequently its position within the cultural policies of the Korean government. One of the noteworthy points in this regard has been the formation of a national brand policymaking chain across different administrations of this country, such that each government has completed this issue in its own way. Perhaps the most significant nation-branding policy in Korea is “Hallyu” or the Korean Wave. Hallyu refers to the global spread of popular Korean media products, which for years was considered the most important branding policy of the Korean nation. Based on the 2024 outlook and planning of the Korean Ministry of Culture under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, it can be concluded that South Korea, which had based its national brand policy on Hallyu or the Korean Wave over the past few years, has been representing its national brand through the concept of “K-culture” for several years. This approach enables all potential and actual Korean content and industries to place themselves under the broader umbrella of Korean culture and become part of Korea’s national brand.

Abstract In Ordibehesht 1403 [April/May 2024], compared to the same month of the previous year, the production index of industrial companies listed on the stock exchange experienced a 1.8% increase, and the sales index experienced a 0.7% increase; furthermore, the production and sales indices in Ordibehesht 1403 increased by 26.6% and 42.2%, respectively, compared to the previous month. In Ordibehesht 1403, compared to the same month of the previous year, the production and sales indices for the “Automotive and Parts” activity branch decreased by 9% and 23.4%, respectively. Additionally, the production and sales indices for the “Chemical (excluding pharmaceuticals)” activity branch decreased by 8% and 12.8%, respectively, compared to the same month of the previous year. In Ordibehesht 1403, the monthly growth rate of prices for industrial activities listed on the stock exchange increased by 3.2%, and point-to-point growth reached 19%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous month. It is worth noting that the annual average price index in Ordibehesht 1403 also increased by 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous month, showing an overall increase of 21.1%.

Abstract The advancement of technical knowledge in the field of construction and the evolution of human needs in recent years have complicated the relationships between qualified engineers, owners, and investors. While providing more amenities for stakeholders, this has also resulted in double responsibilities for all parties. Failure to comply with necessary regulations and standards, along with efforts to maximize profits, has exposed building developers to instances of negligence and paved the way for losses to owners. In Iran, there is no legal mandate for “continuous supervision” by municipal officers and supervising engineers, or in reality, this does not occur; despite the emphasis on the importance of construction supervision in relevant laws and bylaws, there is no clear definition of “continuous supervision.” Consequently, in practice and execution, a lack of seriousness is observed among some supervisors. Most supervisions are conducted at the time of permit applications, the issuance of “no-violation” certificates, and the completion of work; beyond that, no authority considers itself obliged to conduct periodic and continuous inspections. Occasionally, due to the lack of an appropriate mechanism between the municipality and the Construction Engineering Organization, the matter of supervision is not effectively realized, and even violation reports by the supervisor may remain futile and ineffective. Therefore, in the opinion of many industry practitioners, improving the quality of engineering services, particularly in the construction supervision sector and its related laws, is essential. It is necessary to review and reform the primary authority, the process of selecting engineers, their control and supervision methods, and the governing rules and regulations. In this regard, the Housing and Urban Development Group of the Infrastructure Studies Office of the Islamic Consultative Assembly Research Center set out to study the overall views of relevant experts and specialists, as well as the experiences of successful countries in the field of construction. The study covers the relationship between the owner and construction factors, as well as the rules and regulations governing construction in Iran and various countries, ultimately providing expert suggestions and recommendations to improve and enhance engineering services and to help elevate the status of the country’s engineers.

Abstract One of the macro and fundamental challenges of the transportation sector is the incorrect pattern of transport infrastructure development in the country and the process of forecasting and allocating budgets for them, which has resulted in a massive volume and extremely long implementation periods for national and provincial unfinished projects. Consequently, the current trend has caused the government’s macro-investments—which could have been spent on developing value-creating infrastructure with high social returns and helping to reduce the budget deficit—to practically become frozen and unused in a vast array of low-yield projects with very long construction periods. Given the serious necessity to reform the current trend, a structured and quantitative method based on mathematical programming models was designed for prioritizing transport sector projects in the country, which can serve as a scientific tool for decision-makers. Maximizing the benefit-to-cost ratio of total transport projects during the analysis period across the country and minimizing the Gini coefficient as an indicator for measuring equity are the primary objectives in project prioritization within the proposed model. Simultaneously, significant criteria such as the necessity of avoiding project time extensions, sequential budget allocation, and adherence to the applicable budget ceiling have been considered. Based on the results of this research, to make the completion of existing projects feasible, increasing the base year budget or significantly increasing the annual growth rate of the budget for these projects is inevitable. The government must concentrate public budget allocation on a number of “selected projects” and halt the implementation of other projects until some of these “selected projects” are completed. The extraction of information related to the economic benefits of projects must be reviewed and updated and utilized in project prioritization.

Abstract The relationship between ethics and politics, as one of the fundamental subjects of political philosophy, has always been of interest to thinkers and philosophers, and various theories have been expressed regarding their connection. Some of these theories are based on the preference and importance of politics (the three doctrines of separating politics from ethics, the subordination of ethics to politics, and the duality of ethics and politics) or the oneness and unity of ethics and politics. The victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1357 [1979] as the most popular revolution in world political history and the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran system was the manifestation of the unity of religion and politics in the realm of action. Undoubtedly, political and electoral ethics in a society committed and adherent to the unity of politics and ethics is very different from a society that believes in the preference and priority of politics and whose political and social institutions are formed on that basis. The present research attempts to explain the relationship between politics and ethics while examining the nexus of these two categories in the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating the ethical principles and regulations considered by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (May his shadow endure) in electoral competitions, and providing recommendations in this field to election candidates.

Abstract Today, science, technology, and innovation play a significant role in the economic growth of countries worldwide. In this regard, knowledge-based companies play a unique role in the economic development and progress of nations. The participation of these companies in economic prosperity can lead to the creation of a new concept called “Collaborative Knowledge-Based Economy.” This concept, on one hand, emphasizes the participation of institutions in the fields of science, technology, and innovation in economic matters, and on the other hand, points to the role of other factors, including the public, in both the economic and science, technology, and innovation sectors. In this regard, the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran has formulated numerous laws and regulations to support knowledge-based companies, which have significantly aided in advancing the goals and expansion of these companies. However, considering that many factors intervene in the success or failure of knowledge-based companies, investigations show that merely formulating laws and determining financial and facility supports cannot cause a leap in knowledge-based production. Accordingly, it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive approach regarding the factors affecting the performance of knowledge-based companies. This approach must be able to identify all stakeholders and actors in the field of knowledge-based production—from the public to other relevant formal and sovereign structures—and describe how they participate with one another to facilitate and accelerate the performance of duties. Such an approach, referred to in governance literature as “collaborative governance,” can create an integrated network among formal institutions and between the public and formal institutions, while establishing institutional arrangements for the participation of various factors in knowledge-based production.

Abstract The Comprehensive Bill for Club Management in the Islamic Republic of Iran, registered under number 708, was formally received on 1400/05/06 [July 28, 2021]. This bill was initially approved by the Council of Ministers on 1400/04/20 [July 11, 2021], upon the proposal of the Ministry of Sport and Youth. It was submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly by the then government to undergo legal formalities, aiming to create a conducive environment for the growth of moral virtues, strengthening physical powers, the spirit of sportsmanship, and the realization of the general policies of Article (44) of the Constitution and the duties prescribed in the Law on the Goals, Duties, and Powers of the Ministry of Sport and Youth (enacted on 1399/06/16 [Sept 6, 2020]). The detailed review in the specialized committee between Ordibehesht and Khordad 1402 [April–June 2023] led to amendments in the plan, which eventually received approval from the Cultural Commission of the Parliament on 1402/03/08 [May 29, 2023]. The amendments made in the Cultural Commission were such that the bill changed from 15 articles, 3 notes, and 4 chapters to 23 articles, 14 notes, and 6 chapters. In terms of content, the approved text has been strengthened in the areas of support and facilities, as well as supervision of sports club activities. Therefore, the objections raised against the text of the bill have been addressed in a desirable manner. To improve the details of the approval, minor amendments are necessary for Clause “A” of Article (4), regarding the duties of the organs; Clause “2” of Article (8), regarding compliance with cultural requirements; and Article (22), regarding the drafting of regulations. In the area of constitutional conflicts, Article (8) is inconsistent with Article (57), and Article (21) is inconsistent with Article (85) of the Constitution. Article (17) requires the adoption of measures by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces as a prerequisite due to Article (110) and the general policies of the legislative system. Therefore, the details of the Cultural Commission’s approval are confirmed following the application of the amendments.

Abstract Exploration, as the first link in mining activities, is of high importance, and countries with mineral reserves invest appropriately each year to develop their exploration sector. Meanwhile, in Iran, the mineral exploration sector has not received much attention. The failure to conduct mineral exploration could confront the country with the challenge of supplying raw materials and industrial feed in the future. The purpose of drafting this report is to examine the challenges and obstacles to the development of exploration activities in the country. Given that in the early stages of exploration, a large area is examined with low precision, the risk of these activities yielding results is extremely high. Therefore, in most countries of the world, the role of governments is limited solely to the initial stages, including identification and prospecting, while other stages of exploration are delegated to the private sector. The results of this study indicate that the failure to produce and publish accurate exploration data, the blocking of a large portion of mining areas, and the lack of cooperation and coordination between relevant organizations can be named as the most important challenges to the development of exploration activities. In this regard, it is recommended that mining sector laws (the Mining Law, the Mining Engineering Organization Law, and related regulations) be amended with a focus on: stabilizing the revenues of the Geological Survey, obliging relevant organizations to determine the status of mining areas, improving the quality of supervision over mining activities, reforming the technical and financial competency indicators of mining actors, consolidating and publishing exploration data, and limiting the possibility of using “Force Majeure cases” specified in the Mining Law and its executive regulations. Additionally, given the importance of deep exploration, it will be addressed in the second issue of this report.

Abstract Increasing cross-border electricity exchanges, while generating significant export revenues for the electricity industry, leads to diversification in power supply sources and demand, resulting in the enhancement of energy security as one of the components of national security. Currently, Iran exports electricity to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, has bilateral exchanges with Armenia and Azerbaijan, and imports electricity from Turkmenistan. Nevertheless, the share of electricity exports relative to electricity production has been small. In 1401 [2022-2023], the Ministry of Energy exported about 5 billion kWh of electricity, which is far from Iran’s potential export capacity. This is while relevant laws and upstream documents have emphasized increasing electricity exports and transforming Iran into a regional energy exchange center (hub). Given the quantitative targeting of the 7th Progress Plan to increase electricity exchange to 20 billion kWh in the final year of the plan, this report, while describing the current state of Iran’s electricity exchanges with neighboring countries, examines the country’s potential capacity for cross-border electricity exchanges and provides solutions for the development of Iran’s electricity trade by conducting a pathological analysis.

Abstract An important and fundamental requirement for the realization of collaborative governance is the strengthening and empowerment of citizens for active participation in various spheres of governance. Even if the infrastructure for citizen participation in policymaking is provided, if citizens lack the sense of participation and the capacity for participation, the matter of participation will not be realized or will not be implemented efficiently. In the present research, utilizing international experiences and focusing on international reports, an attempt has been made to introduce tools used worldwide to enhance the sense of citizen participation. The tools for the sense of citizen participation are presented in eight axes; the utilization of these tools must be based on the requirements and values of the country’s governance system (such as the country’s legislative system, the social and cultural context of participation in the country, political requirements and their limitations, etc.) and should be carried out with specific care and obsession, avoiding inappropriate imitation. The application of citizen participation tools in the first stage does not require the reform of the country’s macro laws and policies, as the issue of popular participation is emphasized in the Constitution. It is necessary, first, for a genuine will for citizen participation to be formed among executive officials, and in the next stage, tool-making for popular participation should take place under the umbrella of macro laws and policies.

Abstract The current era has been named the era of communication and information. The requirements of this era include the complexity of governance issues alongside the increased capacity for data collection, storage, and processing, which has created new capacities to facilitate addressing governance problems. Examples of these capabilities are data-driven analyses and decision support systems in private sectors and policy support systems in the public sector, which have been extensively developed with the aim of improving the quality of decisions and making them evidence-based. The complexity of legislative issues and their profound impacts on various dimensions of people’s lives in society, alongside the development and application of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, data science, simulation, and the like, makes utilizing the capacity of these technologies essential for improving the country’s legislation. In this regard, a series of reports aiming to design an intelligent legislative support system is underway. Policy support systems are designed using intelligent technologies to facilitate processes related to decision-making and legislation. As a first step, the current report addresses the conceptualization and expression of the functions of the data-driven policy analysis approach as the intended approach in data-driven analyses suited for solving public sector problems. In this regard, considering the requirements of public sector decision-making, in addition to descriptive and objectivity-based methods in data analysis, subjective constructs such as values, beliefs, and norms must also be considered in various stages of data-driven analysis. Furthermore, four principles—demand-orientation, practical application, value transparency, and data meaningfulness—are proposed for designing public sector data-driven analyses. Additionally, attention to the importance of accessibility to public data is mandatory.

Abstract

Abstract Conflict of interest, as the most critical element in preventing administrative corruption, focuses on situations where employees and officials hesitate between personal and public interests, and the possibility of lapse and occurrence of corruption is highly probable if not managed. In this context, individual conflict of interest seeks to protect individuals from falling into the trap of corruption and pursues all measures for this purpose. Six types of individual conflict of interest situations have been identified: concurrent employment, revolving doors, political-regional motivations, nepotism, shareholding and private company ownership relationships, and receiving gifts, which have been sporadically mentioned in our laws. The objective of the present report is to analyze and examine the legislator’s approaches to the issue of individual conflict of interest management, centering on the types of this issue in past legislative texts and using it as applicable approaches for the future. To this end, by utilizing past legislative experiences and designing a checklist, this report can fulfill a major part of the legislator’s needs regarding the design of the path for the three branches of government in preventing and combating corruption with a focus on individual conflict of interest. This path and design have been formed with an emphasis on and foundation in eliminating corruption-prone platforms through the recognition of conflict of interest situations and the use of a transparency approach to prevent corruption, ensuring that the occurrence of corruption is minimized. Furthermore, in cases where conflict of interest rules are violated and the abuse of position is established by the adjudicating authority, effective and efficient action should be taken against the offender.

Abstract Disaster, in both natural and human dimensions, is a destructive event that is difficult to predict and will have more devastating effects if managed improperly. Disaster management is a set of organized measures carried out for prevention, preparedness, response, and mitigation of a crisis. Disaster management often has a coordinating nature, the objective understanding of which requires studying concrete empirical experiences in this field. The present report studies the status and pillars of disaster management in Japan. The results of the investigations show that the leadership positions for support and operations in disaster management at the national scale are entrusted, respectively, to the top political-administrative official, the “Prime Minister of Japan,” and the “Minister of State for Disaster Management” in the cabinet. The position of Minister of State for Disaster Management was created to coordinate disaster management policies among multiple institutions and to overcome bureaucratic sectoralism in this field. These arrangements signify the political-administrative authority and the prominence of disaster management in Japan. Furthermore, decentralization in disaster management in this country has led to the delegation of important roles and responsibilities to local governments (prefectures and municipalities); local units, especially “municipalities,” possess institutional authority, coordination power, mandate, capability, and expertise in all stages of planning, decision-making, and disaster management. Disaster management in Japan becomes centralized only in the event of a major or specific disaster that has detrimental effects on the entire country, where the existence of a unified power is considered necessary under such conditions. Overall, disaster management in Japan has a dual nature; while being governmental and centralized, it is also local and decentralized.

Abstract The pillars of the country’s governance system have numerous functions and roles, the transparency of which helps protect public rights in society, while their lack of transparency weakens the attraction of public participation and the emergence of popular sovereignty. Therefore, to realize this principle, the transparency of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the pillars of sovereignty has been among the concerns of representatives in recent years, and numerous plans and bills have been submitted to the Parliament in this regard. One of the most important of these is the “Transparency Plan for the Three Branches of Government, Executive Bodies, and Other Institutions,” which was formally received as a double-urgency motion in the Parliament on 1401/01/23 [April 12, 2022] and was sent to the Guardian Council after being approved by the Parliament. However, the Guardian Council and the Supreme Supervisory Board for the implementation of general policies of the system found it to have defects and ambiguities and returned it to the Parliament. After the resolution was returned to the Parliament four times, the Islamic Consultative Assembly eventually insisted on its resolution and, after approval on 1401/12/01 [Feb 20, 2023], sent it to the Expediency Discernment Council. Although only Article (3) of the resolution was objected to by the Guardian Council and subsequently insisted upon by the Parliament, following the permission sought from the Supreme Leader, the resolution was again raised in the Supreme Supervisory Board. The said board, via letter number 9000-66061 dated 1402/06/08 [Aug 30, 2023], found multiple articles of the resolution to be defective and contrary to the general policies of the system and returned it to the Parliament. In order to resolve the mentioned defects, the Parliament approved the resolution with amendments, which faced objections from the Guardian Council after being sent there. The Internal Affairs and Councils Commission of the Parliament also insisted on the previous resolution of the Parliament on 1403/02/30 [May 19, 2024] after examining the Guardian Council’s objection, which will be further examined and the Guardian Council’s objection will be explained.

Abstract One of the significant challenges in the field of urban development and the foundation of residential quarters is selecting a suitable and efficient model for the physical expansion of cities. In most developing countries facing increasing urbanization growth, the existence of various dimensions, layers, and aspects of reaching an optimal urban development model—compatible with various environmental conditions and with the least inconsistency with the economic status and environmental and socio-cultural factors—has led to the evolution of a multi-faceted and multi-component problem. Scrutiny of the main approaches to urban development indicates that no single model can become universal and comprehensive to respond to the needs of all urban settlements across a vast territory. Meanwhile, in our country over the past decade, due to the intensification of environmental instabilities, water and energy imbalances, and constraints in financing, a complex situation has occurred in terms of the interaction between housing development, urban planning, and land use planning, where neglect of one or two dimensions of these three has mainly fueled unbalanced developments. Although examining three important indicators—the share of rent, access to housing, and the waiting time for homeownership—alongside the significant indicator of the housing poverty line, clearly demonstrates the critical state of housing provision, due to the necessity of heavy upstream investments, especially land preparation and the provision of infrastructure facilities, as well as hidden and apparent downstream costs including the creation of superstructure services and the maintenance of passages and urban equipment, it is appropriate that the application of any urban development model be carried out considering all aspects, avoiding the adoption of a single approach for all parts of the country.

Abstract Disasters are critical events that have various natural and human types and, depending on their intensity and scale, lead to disruptions in normal living conditions and cause damage. Therefore, they require optimal management to minimize the resulting human and financial losses. Disaster management can be examined in two dimensions: vertical and horizontal. The vertical dimension refers to the status and pillars, and the horizontal dimension encompasses management programs, responsibilities, and actions in this field. The present writing refers to the horizontal dimension of disaster management in Japan. Japan is a disaster-prone country and a pioneer in disaster management, and the purpose of studying disaster management in this country is to extract practical guiding principles in this field. The results of the search and inquiry into disaster management programs, actions, and responsibilities in Japan show that the nature of disaster management in this country, while being governmental, is also local, popular, private, non-profit, and international. The disaster management and risk reduction program system in Japan is designed in a bottom-up (decentralized) manner, starting from the local community level, then proceeding to municipalities, prefectures, and finally the government (Cabinet). Local units (municipalities and prefectures) bear the primary responsibilities for disaster management (except for large-scale disasters which are the responsibility of the government) in all stages of prevention, response, recovery, and reconstruction, as well as coordination among involved institutions. Multi-hazard, specialized, multi-sectoral, and inclusive approaches are used in formulating programs and implementing risk reduction and disaster management actions; regarding actions in various stages of disaster management, while maintaining preparedness for disaster response, they emphasize prevention before and recovery after the disaster.

Abstract Reviewing the credits of executive bodies in the field of housing, urban development, and urban civil engineering in terms of the amounts of current and capital asset acquisition credits in the 1403 [2024-2025] budget bill shows that the budget of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has increased by approximately 745% compared to last year, with a credit exceeding 290 trillion Rials. This amount of increase is very significant compared to the approved amounts of previous years, the major part of which reflects changes in rows and headings; particularly in capital asset acquisition credits, its high growth results from the transfer of credits from miscellaneous rows to the table of executive bodies. Observing some quantitative and qualitative effects of factors such as the inflation rate above 40% in 1402 [2023-2024] and the possibility of its continuation in 1403 [2024-2025], and on the other hand, the limited increase in the amount of credits, it can be expected that the difficulties and constraints in credit allocation—especially in subsidized housing projects, considering a credit of about 80 trillion Rials through the National Housing Fund in the form of miscellaneous rows—will continue. Given that the “National Housing Fund” was formed to create synergy, strengthen supportive capacity, and optimally allocate financial resources to the housing sector with the function of consolidating and allocating financial resources subject to this law, it is essential that the receipts and payments of the National Housing Fund also be fully and accurately seen in the annual budget. One of the key issues regarding the credits of executive bodies in charge of housing, urban development, and urban civil engineering is the lack of metrics and performance indicators for accurate evaluation of resources and expenditures, especially in relation to the notes of the single-article and the 7th Progress Plan bill.

Abstract The bill to amend the “Law on the Punishment of Trafficking in Arms and Ammunition and Holders of Unauthorized Weapons and Ammunition,” aimed at resolving some legal defects and gaps in this regard—including the gap in criminalizing certain new weapons and the gap in criminalization regarding advertisements for the purchase and sale of weapons in cyberspace, as well as to proportionalize punishments—was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on 1403/02/02 [April 21, 2024]. This resolution was sent to the honorable Guardian Council for final approval. The honorable Guardian Council has raised some ambiguities regarding this resolution. In this report, we examine these ambiguities and evaluate the relevant commission’s report approved in order to resolve these ambiguities.

Abstract The importance and status of public occupations in increasing citizen satisfaction, promoting public trust, and ultimately strengthening the foundations of the governance system compel governments to adopt appropriate approaches in the field of entering service and recruitment. In the system of attracting and securing human resources as one of the main sub-systems of the personnel management system, necessary systemic and contingency measures and actions are taken within the framework of upstream documents and strategies and technologies for performing government duties in order to estimate the required human resources and how to meet the estimated needs. These are comprehensive measures and actions that are often defined under the title of recruitment laws and regulations. In the present report, considering the challenges in the field of entering service and recruitment in the country’s administrative system, after explaining the fundamental concept of the civil service system and the main dimensions of recruitment and entering service systems in the public sector, Chapters 6 and 7 of the Civil Service Management Law (1386 [2007]) are critiqued and examined within the framework of these dimensions and the base model. In the final section of the report, based on the assumptions of the Civil Service Management Law, provisions have been presented for the reform and redesign of Chapters 6 and 7 of the said law.

Abstract The cognitive interview is one of the methods for reducing error in surveys; utilizing this method increases accuracy in designing questionnaire questions. In a cognitive interview, the goal is that by reducing error in question design, the questionnaire questions represent the scientific goal of the research and also appear understandable and logical from the respondent’s perspective. The cognitive interview includes two approaches: compensatory and descriptive. In the compensatory approach, the goal is to recognize and correct questionnaire questions. On the other hand, in the descriptive approach, the goal is to better understand the structure of the questions. These two approaches are not separate, and many studies contain both goals. For example, a cognitive interview with a descriptive approach can be used before constructing a questionnaire to understand a term, and the compensatory approach can be used after constructing the questionnaire to identify and correct sources of error. The most comprehensive theoretical approach in cognitive interviewing belongs to Tourangeau (1984), which helps identify sources of error in questionnaire questions at four levels: question comprehension, information retrieval from memory, decision-making processes, and response processes. Cognitive interviewing uses two techniques: “think-aloud” and “verbal probes.” These two techniques can be used separately or in combination with each other. After data collection, one of the main stages is the analysis of cognitive interviews. To analyze the collected data, five methods are used: text summary, cognitive coding, question characteristic coding, thematic coding, and pattern coding. Additionally, it should be mentioned that in the data analysis process, the possibility of using several methods exists.

Abstract The People’s Republic of China is a single-party system; nevertheless, the country’s administrative and legislative system is not centralized, and apart from the administration of four major cities under the central government, the rest of the regions—from the village-to-province hierarchy—are governed locally and autonomously. At the same time, the Chinese local governance system is very different from a federalist system. Hence, the issue of oversight over the implementation of laws and the performance evaluation of officials in China involves complexities that lead to various types of oversight. Generally, in one classification, vertical, horizontal, and hybrid (horizontal-vertical) oversight exist in the People’s Republic of China. Vertical oversight consists of two types: first, the National People’s Congress and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council must oversee the laws approved by lower levels (Local People’s Congresses) through the “filing and review” mechanism to ensure consistency with central laws and even take action to purge certain laws. The second type of vertical oversight is managed by the State Council and Local People’s Governments, which are obliged to sign “Responsibility Contracts” (Zeren Shu) with their lower-level local governments regarding executive plans and oversight of their implementation. Also, the National People’s Congress and Local People’s Congresses are responsible for horizontal oversight, in which the National People’s Congress oversees the State Council and Local People’s Congresses oversee Local People’s Governments at their respective levels to ensure the proper implementation of laws. For this purpose, there are three oversight models named “Pingyi,” “Zhifa Jiancha,” and “Law Oversight Documents.” Furthermore, vertical-horizontal oversight is carried out in a “pendant belt” form by the National Supervisory Commission and its local branches, where the National Supervisory Commission, like an ombudsman institution, oversees the performance of officials at various levels extrajudicially and with public participation and social platforms.

Abstract Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are stable popular institutions that possess a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit nature. One of the main problems of these institutions is securing financial resources to fulfill the social goals and missions of that organization. Globally, these organizations secure their required financial resources through three methods: “receiving donations and contributions,” “revenue generation,” and “investment”; however, the financing model of these organizations should not be such that their non-governmental nature is damaged or their social nature is transformed and turned into an economic enterprise. The present report examines the financial structure of 30 well-known organizations in the world across 6 countries—France, Turkey, Germany, the United States, Japan, and Iran—which hold consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Accordingly, receiving government grants is by no means accepted among the countries studied in this research, and non-financial government aid in the form of tax facilities and subsidies also accounts for a very small portion (approximately 8%) of the organizations’ asset cake. Investment is also considered an illegitimate activity in the financial structure of the 30 organizations examined in this report. The best and most common financing model for organizations is collecting membership fees, attracting public donations, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Revenue generation through conducting scientific and research studies and projects in the specialized field of the NGO’s activity is also one of the best revenue-generation models in the financial structure of the examined organizations.

Abstract The present report attempts to provide the necessary knowledge and insight for designing a comprehensive indigenous index by reviewing the theoretical literature on political participation and examining global indicators in this field. Therefore, in this report, widely used global indicators for measuring political participation, as well as the theoretical definitions of various theorists regarding the concept of political participation, have been reviewed. Finally, a set of various indicators used in global indices to measure important dimensions of political participation is categorized and presented. By comparing various definitions provided for the concept of political participation, it is inferred that formal and legal political activities, such as participating in elections and membership in parties, are at the core of most definitions, while protest activities such as strikes and sit-ins, social participation such as donating to charities, and mental and cognitive activities such as reading or watching the news are of secondary importance. In the section introducing indices, five indicators are introduced. A point regarding these indices is that the design of their indicators is highly related to the political and cultural characteristics of the statistical population and they cannot be applied in the same form in other societies. These indicators can be divided into seven general categories: voting, support/advocacy, action within the formal structure, civic participation, political content consumption, informal action, and daily life and political activities.

Abstract Understanding the efficiency and effectiveness of governance interventions varies based on the frameworks of tradition and culture, laws, recognized needs, and the dominant religion in each society. Awareness of the subjective perception and the dominant social construct regarding government performance can significantly affect policymaking and its implementation priorities. One of the goals of evaluating policies and laws from the people’s perspective is to understand how a policy is implemented and to manage the unintended consequences of interventions (in-process research) on stakeholders, as well as the sustainability of changes created in society (post-implementation research) for the policymaker. Furthermore, this type of evaluation sometimes provides the possibility of revising interventions. In fact, the power and effectiveness arising from “social demand” can contribute more to continuous and increasing social improvement. The following text is the first report in a series of reports compiled in the form of a specialized meeting using the expert panel method along with thematic analysis. The main focus of the discussions and findings in this report is an emphasis on theoretical prerequisites, including governance evaluation assumptions and the clarification of governance goals. In another part of the findings, operational prerequisites were discussed, including: 1. Stakeholder mapping of the intervention, 2. Culture-building in people-oriented evaluation, 3. Control indicators and tools, 4. Information flow, regarding the operational conditions for realizing the people-oriented evaluation of laws and policies. Other findings of this report include the nature of people-oriented evaluation by conceptualizing it with the RAMEF model, as well as addressing the subject of “evaluators of evaluation” and the difference between evaluation and performance assessment. In another section of this report, the most prominent challenges and limitations of people-oriented evaluation were analyzed, including: 1. Political myopia of the people, 2. The multiplicity of government issues and the limitations of people’s inclinations, 3. The dilemma of choosing between an interactive or linear approach in people-oriented evaluation. This report attempts to take a step toward better advancing this modern form of research by examining various dimensions of the subject.

Abstract The bill for the membership of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism has been submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly for approval upon the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance. Given the significant role of taxation in economic and trade interactions among partner countries in the Belt and Road Initiative, these countries recognized the necessity of developing long-term Belt and Road tax cooperation as a practical measure for implementing international tax governance, improving the business environment, and thereby increasing economic growth. In this regard, the establishment of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism (BRITACÔM) was initiated. Despite the positive benefits the present bill could have for the country, it contains ambiguities and considerations; the most important of which is the ambiguity in the first paragraph of Article (2) of the present Memorandum of Understanding. In the said paragraph, one of the visions of BRITACÔM is stated as helping to realize the comprehensive and sustainable development set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which is itself a point of challenge and has not yet been decided upon in the country. Therefore, the approval of the present bill in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in its current form is not recommended unless its legal defects are resolved.

Abstract Total income tax is one of the essential reforms in the Iranian economy that can have many benefits in making the taxation of natural persons fair, simple, and optimal. Given that, unlike many countries, total income tax has not existed in Iran so far, it is necessary to examine which pillars and components the policymaker should pay attention to in designing the total income tax model so that economic justice and efficiency are realized to a desirable extent. The most important design pillars include: choosing the taxation model, defining the taxpayer (unit), defining and calculating income, setting tax rates, determining tax expenditures, the relationship between total income tax and other taxes and the welfare system, compliance and tax management in the total income tax system, and designing the reform process.