Studying the Position of the Public in Checks and Balances System

Power balance and control is considered as one of the most fundamental issues in the governance literature in which, position of the public as main owners of power is of paramount importance; however, it seems it is losing its importance more and more these days with the growing power of governments. In the governance systems, power is checked and balanced in two ways: the first way is through interactions among triple powers, and the second is through the centrality of civil society as a link between administration and the public. In the present study focusing on the second approach, “checks and balances pyramid” is designed by three constituents including administration, civil society and the public. To clarify the issue and to recognize its triple constituents, 67 key indicators were initially obtained by Delphi technique and then they were judged by the connoisseurs and elites of political science, sociology, law, economy and public management. Finally, the requirements for establishing power balance and control system were studied.