Investigation of Stimuli and Barriers to NGOs Activity for Improving Urban Management Performance Case Study: Rasht, Iran

emphasizing social participation and interaction necessity. In this case, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a vital role in creating a participation-centered environment by performing as intermediaries between urban management and people. NGOs can act effectively in this way due to their inherent nature and characteristics and their ability to win the trust of the local community. As the capital of Gilan, Rasht City has many active NGOs in different fields. Hence, it is essential to identify stimuli and barriers to the actualization of participation and achieve good urban governance.

This study aimed at identifying the barriers and stimuli to NGO activity and examining how NGOs perform as an urban governance pattern to improve participation in urban management structures.

This was a descriptive-exploratory study with a qualitative approach. The extant study used bibliographic studies and a survey method through 12 semi-structured and in-depth interviews to collect data. Interviewees were selected via the snowball method. Moreover, content analysis was used to analyze interviews through three-phase coding of concepts and categories.     

NGOs do teamwork and make collective decisions; hence, they mediate the relationship between citizens and urban management. In this regard, participation, civic intervention, and citizenship are the most substantial stimuli in the urban management structure. Moreover, results of restrictive legal structures indicate that the political employment of NGOs and limited financial resources are the most important barriers to NGOs. In total, the urban management structure of Iran has ignored NGOs, and it is hoped that NGOs will become vital and effective elements in the urban management structure by eliminating the barriers.