Journal of Iranian Public Administration Studies

Journal of Iranian Public Administration Studies

A Cyclical Theory of Crisis-Inducing Governance: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding How Governance Systems Produce Crises

Editor-in-Chief Lecture

Author
Professor at Public Administration Department, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jipas.2025.239226
Abstract
This article articulates the “Cyclical Theory of Crisis-Inducing Governance” to elucidate the mechanisms by which contemporary states consistently convert manageable concerns into recurrent, high-stakes crises. The principal thesis posits that crises frequently do not stem from external perturbations or individual shortcomings, but rather constitute a foreseeable consequence of institutional frameworks.Utilizing the governance–management–operations triad alongside the ontology of critical realism, this article elucidates how erroneous problem diagnoses at the governance level culminate in symbolic interventions and regulatory proliferation at the management echelon. These developments, in turn, transfer burdens to the operational frontline without concomitant adjustments in capacity, thereby compelling practitioners toward precarious, ad hoc methodologies. The resultant effect is a largely unrecognized accumulation of adverse externalities coupled with a gradual transgression of crisis thresholds. Upon the emergence of a crisis, it incites reactive governance measures, augmented regulation, and diminished adaptability—thus planting the seeds for the subsequent cycle of crisis. To disrupt this cyclical pattern, the article advocates for a comprehensive set of capacity-enhancing and learning-centric reform mechanisms, and illustrates their implementation through a governance framework pertaining to Iran’s water sector.
Keywords

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