The world today is faced with diverse challenging and multifaceted issues which have led to the rising of wider range of new questions and ideas. This developing situation has inevitably made legislative bodies to come up with pressing demands for establishment of academic and research centers/ institutes in order that legislations can be enacted with reliance on expert opinions and studies in response to the current prevailing needs.
Parliaments blessed with such well-versed academic and research mechanisms are distinctively different “in both working procedure and outcome of their work” from the parliaments whose members are engaged in the exercise of parliamentary duties by merely relying on their own experimental and academic potential. This was raison d'être requiring the Islamic Parliament of Iran to pass the legislation for establishment of Islamic Parliament Research Center (IPRC).
Since the first legislature, the Islamic Parliament of Iran sought expert advices on a casual basis when deliberating a bills or motion as parliamentarians mostly relied on their personal understanding and experiences. However, the Parliament Presiding Board, having identified crucial needs of the parliament to research services, decided to set up an independent center entitled "Islamic Parliament Research Center" in late 1992, in order to duly provide parliamentarians with constant fruitful grounds to benefit from expert advices. Legal procedure for the creation of such a center was finalized in 1995.
Board of Trustees of the IPRC is composed of the Parliament Speaker, members of the Presiding Board and Head of the Center. Board of Trustees shall, inter alia, be responsible for the approval of the overall policy of the Center as proposed by its Head, approval of the budget, organizational structure, recruitment and financial rules, as well as appointment or dismissal of the Head.
Head of the Center is appointed by the Board of Trustees for 4 years from among the qualified persons with high academic degrees and sufficient experiences, subject to the provisions of Article 7 of relevant Act on "functions of the Islamic Parliament Research Center". Major functions of the Head of the Center include: To introduce policies, propose necessary budget and oversee at the highest level the executive and research affairs.
For the past 21 years since its establishment, following individuals have served as the Head of the Center:
Research Council is composed of the Head of the Center, 5 academicians selected from among the Parliament members by the Board of Trustees and 5 specialist researchers, holding at least the position of Associate Professor on the recommendation of the Head of the Center and approval of the Board of Trustees.
The Council’s duties, inter alia, include:
research and educational centers inside and abroad.
Studies and researches are mainly defined, planned and conducted as required by the following four Research Departments through their affiliated specialist sections. Each department has its own specialist sections that work under the direction of the Research Departments and each of them has several specialist groups. Each section consists of a director, an assistant, and research assistants for study groups as well as researchers and senior researchers. Sections shall define, supervise and, if necessary, direct research projects. Moreover, the sections shall report the work in progress, achievements and final outcome of their activities to the related Research Departments. Meanwhile, the studies conducted by the specialist sections and their affiliated groups are assessed by the "Specialist Advisory Council". These Departments and their own specialist sections are as follows:
In addition to the activities mentioned above, the Departments also deal with the following general tasks:
Studies and researches are generally planned and conducted by the Research Sections. The Research Sections work under the direction of the Research Department and each has several specialist subsections. Each section consists of a director, an assistant, and research assistants for subsections as well as researchers. Sections shall define, supervise and, if necessary, direct research projects. Moreover, the sections shall report to the Research Department the work on progress, achievements and final outcome of the activities. The "Specialist Advisory Council" makes an assessment of the research studies conducted in various fields by the concerned specialist sections.
Islamic Parliament Research Center is currently composed of 9 research sections and one specialist subsections as follows:
A diverse spectrum of activities is done by the Specialist Sections conducive to the responsibility and demands of the Parliament Standing Committees. The activities, inter alia, include as follows:
The purpose for establishment of Islamic Parliament Research Center as specified in the relevant Act includes:
Major duties and responsibilities:
All the research papers prepared and finalized by the Research Center on a wide spectrum of political, economic, legal and cultural issues etc. are made available to the parliament members. Since its establishment, the Center has released 10,000 expert reports. The papers have been sent for the Parliament Presiding Board, Standing Committees and the representatives. Certain government institutes as well as research and academic centers have also received such papers.
It is the responsibility of the Division for Publication of Quarterly to release outcome of the Center's research studies in the form of books and bulletins. The main purpose of this division is to create direct contact with parliament members, state officials, decision-making experts, senior directors of the executive departments as well as the concerned academic researchers.
Titles of the books and bulletins shall be specified with due respect to the policies dictated by the Research Department based on the researches and studies conducted by the specialist divisions.