Cultural Risks in Regulatory Governance of the Digital Economy in Iran

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Ph.d. Student of Public Management, Faculty of Management, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Public Management, Faculty of Management, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/jppolicy.2026.107730

Abstract


Governance has increasingly replaced the traditional concept of government, becoming the foundation of development systems and a driver of public sector transformation. Regulatory governance is a key mechanism for implementing governance in the digital economy. This study seeks to identify and prioritize cultural risks associated with regulatory governance in Iran’s digital economy. A mixed-methods design was adopted. In the qualitative phase, data were collected from legal documents and expert interviews in the ICT sector and analyzed thematically. In the quantitative phase, the Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) was applied to rank the risks. The strength of the research lies in its comprehensive inclusion of governance stakeholders (government, private sector, and civil society), integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches, application of a scalable and participatory prioritization model, and provision of actionable policy insights. Findings reveal major cultural risks, including weak public awareness, lack of specialized institutions, and insufficient inter-organizational collaboration. These results provide guidance for improving regulatory effectiveness and enhancing digital governance.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Public Policy
Volume 12, Issue 2
June 2026
Pages 28-38

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