ABSTRACT
Iran, like many other countries, has encountered the Covid-19 pandemic without any prior preparation, but unlike many other countries, Iran was also grappling with severe domestic, regional and international crises. The modes of entering the country as well as spreading the pandemic and the reactions at different social levels reveal the nature of Iranian society and institutions. The complexity of Iranian political structure and governance may not fit into conventional frameworks of social sciences. This research seeks to address the following questions: How can we best make sense of the complex and diverse reactions of Iranian society to the Covid-19 crisis? How does the crisis influence the functioning of social institutions? Does the crisis prepare the ground for social and institutional transformations? This study relies on the approach of heterogeneous configuration sociology and examines reactions to the pandemic through Iran’s political, social and economic institutions. The analysis is meso-level and the units of analysis are institutions and their interrelations. Relying on the existing empirical data, this study traces the trajectory of the pandemic and the subsequent reactions, policies and strategies by identifying the active institutions. It will show how actors’ perceptions of crisis and their position in the governing structure have determined institutional relations and will delineate a picture of Iran’s response to the Covid-19 crisis. Finally, the study addresses the consequences of the crisis for Iranian governance and institutions.
