Regulatory Stalemates Analysis of Iranian Ride-hailing Platform Business by the Advocacy Coalition Framework

Platform-based businesses promote economic efficiency due to the optimal allocation of resources and the reduction of transaction costs, but they need to regulate why the conflict of interest between them and traditional actors. Although the conflict between economic actors can be understood based on regulation economics, explaining the conflict between political actors requires an appropriate framework. This study aims to narrate the regulatory process of "platform businesses" and explain it based Advocacy Coalition Framework in order to identify the policy implications and solutions used in this process. In this qualitative research, data based on the case study strategy (2014-2018) have been extracted from the regulatory process of "transportation platform businesses" in Iran through preferential interviews and document reviews. The results show that regulating platform businesses has faced four stalemates that different mediators have effectively gotten out of them. Also, the two mediators, "Competition Council" and "Deregulation and Business Licensing Board", as examples of "principle-based regulation" and "rule-based regulation", respectively that can be extended to other cases of new business regulation. The present article emphasizes the regulation occurring in the political market that the media has a high role in explaining issues and institutional innovation in resolving these issues.