Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Public Administration, Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran.
2
Department of Public Administration, Suleiman Mosque Branch, Islamic Azad University, Suleiman Mosque, Iran.
3
Department of Public Administration, Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran
Abstract
Introduction and objectives
Today, the optimal governance paradigm is used on a wide scale from local to international level. According to many experts and experts in this field of research, the most important and effective theory on the way to achieving the desired governance is "decentralization of (political-economic) power" (Chigbu, 2021). Decentralization has been considered as one of the indicators of reducing power distance. Decentralization, means the delegation of power (in political and economic matters), leads to a reduction in the power gap between different levels and the power gap between the government and the people (Rodríguez, 2018). The main problem of this research is that currently there is no firm determination in the country's political and policy-making system to realize the model of decentralization and delegation of authority to local authorities (such as governorates, etc.). On the other hand, it has been found that simply increasing decentralization does not increase welfare; rather, the necessary infrastructure for handing over affairs to the provinces should be evaluated first, and then the realization and improvement of social welfare in the provinces (Khanzadi et al., 1400). From a theoretical point of view, not much effort has been made to provide a political-economic decentralization model, which indicates a major research gap in governance literature. With all the aforementioned, the question of how decentralization helps to realize the desired governance, due to the disagreements and deficiencies that exist in the field of theoretical literature and research background, remains without a firm and definitive answer; Therefore, the main question of this research is: "What is the model of decentralization (political-economic) in Iran's provinces in the direction of good governance?"
Method
This research is practical in terms of purpose, which was done with a mixed (qualitative-quantitative) approach. The statistical community in the qualitative section includes university experts who have a history of education in the field of public administration and valid scientific articles in this field. To determine the samples of this research and to determine this group of experts, a non-probability and purposeful sampling (Judgmental Sampling) method was used. The criterion for determining the sample size in this research is to reach theoretical saturation, which was achieved after fourteen interviews.
The snowball technique was used for sampling. The statistical population of the quantitative stage was the senior and middle managers of the governorate and the program and budget organization and managers of general offices in the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Kurdistan, and Khuzestan (N=183). Considering that the number of the studied community is limited, the entire studied community has been used completely and non-randomly as the investigated sample. The main tool of data collection in the qualitative part is the semi-structured in-depth interview. To determine the validity and reliability of the interviews, two methods of retesting and double coder agreement were used.
In the quantitative part, to test these research hypotheses, a researcher-made questionnaire including 147 items was used to collect information. The items of the questionnaire were compiled exactly based on the indicators identified in the qualitative phase of the research. In this research, the database theory method has been used to analyze qualitative data. Data analysis in the qualitative section has been done using MAXQDA software version 2020. Inferential statistics and Partial Least Squares (PLS) version 2024 were used to analyze the data and test the research hypotheses.
Results
Based on the results of three stages of coding in the second part of the research, the obtained data are classified into 9 main categories. According to professors and experts, out of all the indicators obtained from the qualitative analysis of 14 interviews, including 9 categories and 30 indicators, have been used to formulate the model of decentralization (political-economic) in the direction of good governance.
Figure 1- Research paradigm model
A survey approach was used to validate the obtained model. To check the validity of the questionnaires, two indices Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) have been measured. The results of the content validity index of the questions show that the CVI of all the questions is higher than 0.8, which is the result of the validity of the content of each question. Also, considering that the CVR value of each question is greater than 0.56, the content validity ratio of this questionnaire has been confirmed.
The value of Cronbach's alpha reliability and composite reliability for all variables in the research model is more than 0.7. Therefore, the research questionnaire has the necessary reliability. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the conditions of convergent validity are also established. Therefore, convergent validity is also confirmed. The results of the Fornell-Larcker test also confirm the validity of the tool. The coefficient of determination test (R2) and the GOF index (equal to 0.698) also confirm the appropriate fit of the research model. In total, the results of the quantitative part showed that the proposed model in this research has good validity from the point of view of path coefficient and significant value.
Discussion and conclusion
Decentralization and formation of local government is a complex and long process that works to increase the participation of all people of a society in the development process based on local capacities, abilities, and resources. In decentralization, the central government hands over decision-making authority to local institutions whose officials are elected by the people of the same place; but their performance is under the control and supervision of the central government. In better words, decentralization refers to the relative authority of local governments in terms of setting goals, providing resources, and managing and implementing public policies. Decentralization facilitates and accelerates decision-making. It increases competition between local governments. It brings regional development and increases transparency and accountability by bringing the government closer to the people. Decentralization is also mentioned in articles of the law of the fifth five-year development plan of the country. In developing countries, there are several categories of main tasks, including "establishing the rule of law and ensuring the implementation of regulations", "creating macroeconomic stability", "and creating and upgrading infrastructure "," providing welfare services "," protecting the environment "and" strengthening the productive capacity of the national economy" can be summarized as the most important activities of the public sector. This research is one of the first studies that provide a comprehensive model related to decentralization in the direction of good governance. The components identified in the model of this research can have management guidelines for policymakers to facilitate the decentralization process and consequently strengthen good governance. Also, the proposed model provides researchers with a new perspective by separating different factors so that they can identify the important areas of decentralization from the perspective of good governance.
Appreciation and thanks
The authors appreciate and thank all the experts who participated in this research. Also, the authors express their gratitude to all managers and employees of the Public Administration Department of the Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar Branch.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Keywords
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