Strategy

Strategy

Application of Citizen Participation Platforms in Smart Parliamentary Governance

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
iman Akbari 1
maryam razmjoo 2
mohammadreza esmaeligivi 3
hossein babaeemojarad 4
seyedmojtaba shahrayini 5
1 PhD in Public Administration, Researcher at the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative ,Assembly,Tehran, Iran
2 PhD, Research Group, Culture and Communication Research Institute Allameh Tabatabaei University (RA), Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor of Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Islamic Management Department, Islamic Systems Research Center, Islamic Culture and Thought Research Center, Tehran, Iran
5 Ph.D. Candidate in Public Administration, University of Tehran, Researcher at the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative (Majlis), Tehran, Iran
10.22034/rahbord.2026.559752.1878
Abstract
As the main legislative body of the country, the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament of Iran) requires the adoption of modern approaches to enhance transparency, accountability, efficiency, and public participation. In this regard, public empowerment and smart governance serve as two complementary strategies that can pave the way for transforming the country's legislative system. This study aims to present a macro-level vision for the smart transformation of the Iranian Parliament, with a particular focus on citizen participation systems. The research was conducted using content analysis and focus group discussions. A total of 13 experts—including specialists in public policy, public administration, parliamentary studies, and smart governance, as well as managers and researchers from the Parliament Research Center and experts from the Parliament's Legal Affairs Department—participated in the focus group sessions. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and the process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The findings indicate that by classifying citizen participation into three levels (awareness, consultation, and engagement) and five main domains (problem identification and prioritization, law drafting and formation, evaluation of legislation, monitoring implementation, and advocacy/representation enhancement), a clear operational model can be designed to achieve the intended transformation. For each level and domain, the study specifies proposed actions, required infrastructures, and institutional/organizational divisions of responsibility. Implementing this framework will enable systematic and maximum utilization of public and expert capacities in the legislative process, ultimately improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.
Keywords
Smart Governance
Smart Parliament
Islamic Consultative Assembly
Public Empowerment
Participatory Governance
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 19 November 2025
  • Revise Date 02 February 2026
  • Accept Date 03 February 2026