Storytelling in Baharestan: Analyzing the Implications of Employing Narrative in the Legislative System and Redefining the Interaction Between the Legislature and Society in Iran

Babaee Mojarrad, Hosein; Khosravi, Mehdi; GHAFOORI, ZAHRA; Kazemi, Seeyed Hosein; Zinatbakhsh, Jaafar

doi:10.22034/mr.2026.17983.6058

Storytelling in Baharestan: Analyzing the Implications of Employing Narrative in the Legislative System and Redefining the Interaction Between the Legislature and Society in Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Hosein Babaee Mojarrad ¹

Mehdi Khosravi ²

ZAHRA GHAFOORI ³

seeyed hosein kazemi ⁴

Jaafar Zinatbakhsh ⁴

¹ Governance Department, Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought, Tehran, Iran

² Expert and researcher at the Governance Studies Office of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran

³ Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Economics and Management, Tarbiat Modares University

⁴ Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Economics and Management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/mr.2026.17983.6058

Abstract

In a context of declining public trust in democratic institutions, this study explores the role of parliamentary storytelling to enhance parliamentary engagement with society and reconstruct the institutional image of the parliament. Parliamentary storytelling, by employing engaging and relatable narratives, serves functions such as communicating complex ideas, promoting values like justice and empathy, fostering a cohesive institutional identity, and countering traditional narratives. Successful examples, such as the UK Parliament and participatory budgeting experiences in Brazil, demonstrate that this approach can enhance citizen participation and reinforce transparency. For the Iranian Parliament, proposed strategies include establishing direct communication channels with the public, utilizing visual technologies to simplify legal concepts, producing creative media content, and appointing a unified spokesperson to ensure coherent narrative delivery. Using an interpretive-doctrinal methodology, the study emphasizes that storytelling is not merely a tool for information dissemination but a platform for meaningful dialogue between the legislature and society. However, its success depends on avoiding excessive simplification and ensuring the ethical use of this tool.

Keywords

Parliamentary storytelling

public interaction

public image

public trust

semantics

Subjects