Governance Structure in Iran Based on Multi-Level Governance Theory

 Governance is a new approach introduced in 1970 replacing the traditional management models and since then, has attracted lots of researches in different parts of the world. So far, various types of this approach have been presented in the world, one of which being multi-level governance. In Iran, this theory was used to provide a model for governance in the metropolitan area of Mashhad in 2017. In the present article, an attempt has been made to use this theory _multi-level governance_ to assess governance in Iran.

In order to achieve this goal, a qualitative method was used. First, the indicators of multi-level governance were extracted using a research review method, then the structure of urban and regional management of Iran was identified using a systematic review method, and finally based on the extracted indicators of multi-level governance, Iran’s governance structure was assessed.

Among the six indicators studied, urban and regional management of Iran shows unfavorable condition in three indicators (network space, poly-centric space of power, and faded borders), to some extent favorable condition in two indicators (participatory space and pluralistic space), and a favorable condition in one indicator (multi-actor space).

The study of the six indicators shows unfavorable condition of governance in Iran from the perspective of multilevel governance.