Content Analysis of CampaignSlogans of Candidates of the 9th Parliament Election in Khoramabad (Emphasis on Development-Oriented Approaches)

The aim of this paper was to study the slogans raised in the 9thparliamentary election campaigns in Iran within the framework of developmental approaches and concepts in order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the plans of the candidates. The population consisted of promotional items of 28 parliamentary election candidates. Due to the small size of the the statistical population, all the candidates of parliamentary election in Khoramabad were included in the study. Using theoretical approaches and concepts of development and the method of content analysis, the election goals and plans of candidates were analyzed. The findings indicate that 85.7% (24 candidates) had plans and goals. The discourses of “Welfare-Services” and “Production (Industry and Mining)” were dominant in the slogans of these candidates. Moreover, their plans and goals were close to “Basic Needs” and “Facility and Production-Oriented” development approaches. In general, the slogans were far from “Indigenous Development”, “Human Development”, “Development as Freedom”, and especially, “Sustained Development” approaches. Finally, the content of slogans did not match the comprehensive development scheme and some important dimensions of development, includingpolitical, cultural, and environmentalissues, were marginalized.