During recent years, the topic of participation has constantly been gaining importance in Iran - in both the scientific field and in practice and rhetoric. However, in current scientific literature - and especially in English literature - there is little knowledge on the conditions, legal background, perceptions, experiences and processes of citizens' participation in Iran.

This book aims at shedding light on the question of participation in Iran, which is a paradoxical one: it is old and new, dysfunctioning and functioning, disappointing and promising. This slippery status of...