Objective: This study has been conducted with the aim of discovering and identifying the conditions shaping the ineffectiveness of developmental laws in less-developed provinces, with a case study of North Khorasan, and presenting a model to address this ineffectiveness.

Method: This research employed a qualitative approach using the Corbin and Strauss grounded theory strategy. Participants included senior executive managers, members of parliament, academic experts, and representatives of the private sector from North Khorasan Province. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants and a review of relevant documents. Data analysis was conducted in three stages: open, axial, and selective coding.

Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of various categories within a paradigmatic model. The core phenomenon was "structural misalignment between national developmental laws and local-regional contexts." Causal conditions were identified in four categories: institutional-structural, contextual-developmental, experiential-executive, and strategic-managerial. Contextual conditions included socio-cultural, economic-infrastructural, and geographical-environmental contexts. Intervening conditions comprised political-managerial, legal-institutional, macroeconomic, and socio-cultural factors. Strategies were classified into four axes: institutional-structural, interactive-participatory, scientific-technical, and capacity-building. The strategy of "ex-ante evaluation of developmental laws" emerged as the central strategic response to the core phenomenon. Consequences emerged at four levels: institutional-managerial, economic-social, cultural-political, and trans-regional.

Conclusion: Structural misalignment between national laws and local contexts is an undeniable reality in less-developed provinces. Ex-ante evaluation serves as an operational strategy to bridge this gap and enhance legal effectiveness. The effectiveness of these laws depends on the interaction of political will, a localized evaluation model, and the participation of key actors. The proposed model can provide an operational framework for institutionalizing ex-ante evaluation at the provincial level.