The role of Shuras (councils) in optimized city management and enhancing civil rights in Iran

Abstract

Shuras play an important role in managing a part of country’s executive tasks through free procedure of
knowledge exchange, insight, supervision and people’s votes and this is considered as a significant step
toward abandoning current affairs to local organizations. Rural and urban Shuras are manifestations of
individual presence, views, thoughts, demands, needs and people’s tendency toward participation in
generating guidelines for the country. Moreover, urban Shura (City Council) has committed a significant
role in urban administration as a main element of city management. Hence, formation of Islamic Councils
in cities may act as a turning point of participatory management in Iran. The issue of civil rights is a main
subject and goal in the area of city management. Civil rights are civil, political, economic, social, cultural,
juridical and civil privileges possessed by residents of a society. The present paper analyzes the role of
Islamic Councils (Shuras) in optimized city management and enhanced civil rights. The main objective is
to clarify the role of Shuras in attracting public participation and local trust in order to improve civil
rights.