Editor-in-Chief Lecture

Abstract

In the shortest definition, development planning is a known collective process to direct the existing situation to a desirable one by choosing the best possible path. Its collective character is best manifested in bottom-up and communication planning method, and compared to top-down planning it recommends the involvement of all stakeholders in the process, from preparation to monitoring stages. The conscious feature implies the need of the rule of rationality over a complex process and at the same time involves expert and technical opinions regarding the political tendencies influencing its direction. Attaching development to the word ‘planning’ also brings to mind a multi-order or multi-dimensional concept. All these together determine the complexity as well as human and institutional intertwining of this process.
The idea of compiling a special issue on the 7th Development Plan was proposed by the Institute of Cultural and Social Studies before the government could take the initiative on the plan, and it was initially supported and managed by Dr. Mirzaei and Dr. Mehrmohammadi and then by Dr. Gholami and Dr. Ebrahimabadi. At the beginning, it was speculated that several special issues could possibly deal with various topics with an interdisciplinary approach, but in practice, limiting it in one issue, made both the scope of the topic and the selection very difficult. Finally, the outcome of this collective effort coincided with the news of the preparation and submission of the 7th Development Plan to parliament for approval.
The current special issue, with due attention to the aforementioned limitation, consists of articles on various fields and topics. Although it seems that the damage identified for more than seven decades of development planning in Iran still prevail in the last one, i.e. the seventh development plan. Despite efforts to choose a subject and/or problem-oriented approach, and harms such as a central ruling instead of a plan-oriented one, lack of shape and image and format of the plan (as is evident in the plans of all countries with a history of planning in Iran, just like China, India, and Turkey) and the selection of ruling-oriented governance on the content of the development plan, the lack of systematic and effective participation of stakeholders and other cases, and the fate of the plan is predictable, but scientific and expert opinions to influence this path and content, any time, is an action that every institution should do according to its standard. And this issue is also a small effort in this stable and permanent path. In the preparation and compilation of this special issue, apart from the support of officials and managers of the institute and the participation of the authors with their scientific articles and esteemed referees, Ms. Shah Alizadeh and Mr. Noormohammadi have continuously followed up, and therefore it is necessary to express gratitude to all and appreciate their efforts in this regard.