The Role and Power of Tehran’s Mayor on Paper and in Practice

As the most well-known local authorities, mayors hold several roles that vary depending on different countries’ urban planning and management systems. The role and power of the mayor can be examined from two aspects of power on paper and power in practice. Thus, recognizing the mayor’s role and power requires recognizing the official and legal function and authority and how this role and power is perceived in practice. This research examines the role and power of Tehran’s mayor from two aspects: power on paper and power in practice. This study uses a quantitative-qualitative method to explain the concept of power on paper by examining the relevant laws and legislation. To analyze the mayor’s power in practice, the citizens’ perceptions were studied through surveys, and the city administrators’ perceptions were analyzed through semi-structured interviews. This research uses the inductive content analysis method for data analysis. The findings indicate that the mayor of Tehran holds political, executive, ceremonial and facilitating roles, and the legal power of such functions has been gradually weakened and curtailed (on paper). Furthermore, the mayor’s power in practice does not correspond to that outlined on paper and mayors with personal brand and political support act beyond the bounds of the law.