The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Planning System

Central for management is planning which is performed in a specific framework in governmental management known as the planning system. This system includes the pillars and relationships between them. The first pillar is the enforceable legal instruments and at the top is the Constitution. In addition to defining the objectives, ideals and general strategies directing the content of the programs, the Constitution also fulfils a significant role in determining the other elements of this system. This research through a descriptive-analytic method seeks to examine the quiddity and quality of these two aspects in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution seems sufficiently rich in terms of determining the objectives and the general strategies but vague regarding the regulation of other elements of the planning system despite mentioning the word “plan” or reference to its concept or planning requirement in most of the Articles of the Constitution. That’s while this issue isn’t devolved to the legislature and solely the president is in charge of the planning and budget affairs which may devolve its administration to someone else. Difficult to construe, hence, is the coherent planning system and its main pillars from the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Besides, inappropriate use of the relevant terms and the separation of planning affairs from the plan of the government has enhanced the ambiguity of the issue.