Assessment of Governance Structures in Iran's National Climate Change Strategy Program: Application of Network Analysis Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

2 Social Business Institute, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: Analyzing the role of governance in the context of climate change, particularly in developing countries like Iran, is considered a major challenge. Given the extensive impacts of climate change on the environment and human societies, governance systems must be designed to address these challenges effectively. Therefore, analyzing governance systems based on documents and regulations related to climate change in these countries is one of the ways to understand climate governance. This research uses organizational network analysis to examine the governance structure in Iran's National Climate Change Strategic Program. The innovation of the research is applying this method to identify and evaluate the inter-organizational collaborative and coordinative relationshipsand their impact on the climate change governance structure in Iran, which has been rarely seen in previous studies. This study aims to identify the existing structure within the climate governance system based on the aforementioned document.
Method: The methodology involved extracting qualitative and quantitative data from documents and laws related to climate change in Iran, including the National Climate Change Adaptation Program. Relationships related to collaboration and information exchange among the organizations mentioned in various sections of this program were analyzed. Subsequently, using organizational network analysis and UCINET software, network analysis metrics were calculated to examine the structure of this governance system and identify its dominant regime. 
Results: The results indicated that Iran's climate governance system faced serious challenges, such as lack of coordination among various entities, despite a relative distribution of power and existing structural gaps. Additionally, this lack of cooperation and coordination among entities led to a fragmented governance regime that negatively impacted decision-making effectiveness in the field of climate change. Consequently, reforms in the structure of climate governance and the proposal for establishing new institutions with sufficient authority for coordination and continuity among organizations appeared necessary. Furthermore, enhancing transparency and accountability in policymaking were emphasized as a key factor for improving governance performance. The findings suggested that local institutions should play a more active role as bridges between government and society and better identify local needs and challenges. Organizing workshops and training courses to raise public awareness about climate change and strategies for addressing it could help strengthen social participation.
Conclusions: Increasing transparency and accountability in decision-making processes related to climate change should be prioritized to enhance public trust in adopted policies. Ultimately, this research can serve as a model for other countries in analyzing governance structures in the field of climate change and contribute to developing effective strategies for addressing crises arising from climate change. 

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References

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Journal of Environmental Studies
Volume 52, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 1-20

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