The need to shed light on the invisible labyrinth of the administrative and executive structure of the country

The fear of transparency has created an invisible labyrinth in the administrative and executive structure of the country. When no light shines inside the organization and a detailed and documented account of the functions is not provided, this labyrinth naturally becomes a breeding ground for corruption.

"Problems and achievements of society do not exist by themselves, but are created and narrated by politicians." This golden sentence by Deborah Stone in the acclaimed book The Paradox of Policy: The Art of Political Decision-Making is perhaps the missing piece of governance in Iran today. We live in the age of communication; An era in which doing a good job is not enough, but it is the accurate and persuasive narration of that job that gives institutions legitimacy and social capital. But why are the important institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the extent of their activities, stuttering in presenting such a narrative and cannot convince the public opinion?

The answer should be sought in the missing link of this narration, that is, transparency. In the knowledge of governance, transparency is not just a moral gesture, but a solid foundation of any successful narrative. Unfortunately, in the organizational culture of many of our institutions, there is an institutional and historical fear of transparency. Our managers worry that if they put their organization's documents, contracts, budget details, and decision-making processes in a glass room, they will be attacked, misunderstood, or misused.

But has the result of this worry and fear been anything other than taking refuge in darkness? This fear of transparency has created an invisible labyrinth in the administrative and executive structure of the country. When no light shines inside the organization and a detailed and documented account of the functions is not provided, this labyrinth naturally becomes a breeding ground for corruption.

And even if we optimistically assume that corruption does not occur in this hidden labyrinth, at least the inefficiencies, waste of resources, and wrong expert decisions are lost in it and never get a chance to be corrected. In the absence of an official, transparent and honest narrative, public opinion easily accepts competing narratives, rumors and skepticism.

This devastating paradox inflicts more fatal blows on the body of social capital in institutions that directly deal with people's trust and belief. Charitable organizations and endowment institutions are at the forefront of this pathology.

These institutions are the custodians of a huge part of the material and spiritual capitals of the people who have donated or donated their property with good intentions and closeness to God. When an endowment or charity cannot show the public exactly where, how and how effectively these resources are spent by voluntarily publishing financial documents, balance sheets and detailed performance reports, its silence is interpreted by public opinion as concealment. In the absence of transparency, even the biggest cultural services and huge social and deprivation plans are lost in a mass of media ambiguities and doubts, and the society is not convinced.

The big lesson of The Policy Paradox book for our managers and policymakers is this: Narrative, propaganda and wordplay are not pretty; An effective narrative is a narrative based on open statistics, verifiable documents, and brutal transparency.

Increasing social capital cannot be achieved by issuing circulars and installing advertising banners. If the governing and public institutions want to restore the lost trust, they must find the courage to get out of this invisible labyrinth. They should know that opening the organization's doors to public opinion and presenting a clear narrative of achievements and even failures is not only a weakness, but the only scientific solution in modern governance to build an unbreakable bond with society.