Social Indicator System:Towards Designing and Developing Conceptual Models for Iranian Society

Policymakers and social scientists are primarily concerned with examining and tracking the social condition of the community. A considerable number of organizations publish social reports, the majority of which are presented in a fragmented, sectional, and non-exhaustive fashion. Constructing and implementing a “social indicators system” is the most efficacious resolution to this dilemma. The term “social indicators system” refers to a collection of indicators that have been deliberately and methodically chosen, precisely defined, and organized in accordance with a theoretical framework. Recognizing the significance of the topic, the purpose of this article is to construct and consolidate a conceptual framework for assessing the social condition, with a particular focus on Iranian society.The present study employed a mixed methodological design, incorporating in-depth interviews with specialists and elites as well as documentary methods. The methodology employed in the development of the social indicators system is one that is centered on concepts.To assess the social standing of Iranian society, three distinct and autonomous conceptual frameworks have been formulated and constructed. 1) According to the “development level measurement” framework, the social situation is comprised of three primary elements: the “interaction system,” the “livelihood system” and the “distribution system.” These components correspond to “social capital,” “quality of life” and “human development,” respectively. 2) The “monitoring of social changes” model examines the condition of the value system structure at the micro level and the process of structural changes in the domains of demographics, stratification, and technology at the macro level. 3) “The pathological model views the social situation as an examination of the state of social problems.”The social problem is defined as an unfavorable circumstance resulting from a disruption in the dimensions of development or the rapid occurrence of changes in social structures, according to this model.