Geography and Regional Planning

Geography and Regional Planning

Designing an electoral performance improvement model with a development-oriented management approach in line with regional planning (Case study: Islamic Council elections in Isfahan province)

Authors
1 Department of Management, Is.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
2 Department of Management, Nar.C., Islamic Azad University, Naraq, Iran.
10.22034/jgeoq.2026.586678.4474
Abstract
The elections to the Islamic Consultative Assembly, as the most central mechanism for the realization of religious democracy, are a complex management process whose quality directly affects social capital, institutional trust, and political legitimacy. The present study aimed to design an electoral performance improvement model with a development-oriented management approach in Isfahan province. The qualitative research method was based on Strauss and Corbin's data. The statistical population included all individuals with direct experience in the field of the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections in Isfahan province, who were classified into five groups: political science professors, members of executive and supervisory boards, members of parliament, unsuccessful approved candidates, and disqualified candidates. Purposive sampling was carried out with maximum diversity, and theoretical saturation was achieved in the thirteenth interview; a total of 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed using a three-stage coding method in MAXQDA software. The results led to the extraction of 152 open codes, 12 central categories, and 3 optional categories. The core of the research was identified as “the structural disconnect between formal rules, stakeholder behavior, and public trust.” The final model was designed in three layers: the first layer included seven structural components as independent variables (status analysis, public participation, transparency and oversight, strengthening civil society institutions, use of technology, education and information, and effective oversight), the second layer included stakeholder actions at three time points as a mediating variable, and the third
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