Why the Iranian Parliament has not adopted public participation tools in the legislative process?

Purpose This study investigates the critical question of why the Iranian Parliament has not adopted and institutionalizing established mechanisms for public participation in its legislative process. Design/methodology/approach Employing a qualitative inductive research design, this study conducted 23 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders directly involved in the legislative process. The data collected was subjected to a rigorous qualitative content analysis to identify emergent themes and patterns. Findings The analysis uncovered a complex typology of legislative inaction, which can be categorized into five themes: (1) Calculated inaction, driven by a desire to preserve legislative power and the perception that lawmaking is too technically complex for public input; (2) Ideological inaction, stemming from a paternalistic governance ethos and a commitment to safeguarding revolutionary values from perceived deviation; (3) Imposed inaction, where external factors such as restrictive parliamentary regulations and influential media narratives enforce exclusivity; (4) Reluctant inaction, arising from systemic deficiencies including a lack of public demand, weak institutional incentives, and infrastructural constraints; and (5) Inadvertent inaction, sustained by cognitive biases, risk aversion, and unconscious institutional habits among legislators. Originality/value This research proposes a comprehensive framework for understanding the phenomenon of legislative inaction in public participation. With Iran’s unique political-ideological landscape, characterized by the principle of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), the study contributes to debates on participatory democracy and offers evidence-based insights for designing context-sensitive parliamentary reforms.