Reimagining Public Affairs Education in Iran: Institutional Constraints, Regional Comparisons, and Pathways for Reform

Public affairs education in Iran has received limited scholarly attention despite its importance for preparing future public servants to address contemporary governance challenges. This article examines how centralized governance, constrained academic autonomy, and uneven institutional development shape curriculum design, international engagement, and practice-based learning. Using a structured qualitative synthesis of peer-reviewed scholarship, policy reports, institutional documents, and comparative evidence from selected MENA countries, the study analyzes institutional and pedagogical barriers to reform. Rather than treating Iran simply as a case of educational underdevelopment, the article argues that it offers a theoretically important case for understanding public affairs education in politically constrained settings. The analysis identifies context-sensitive opportunities for incremental reform through applied learning, competency-based education, faculty development, and selective adaptation of regional quality assurance practices. The study contributes to public affairs education scholarship by demonstrating how institutional context shapes ethics education, public value formation, and the preparation of future public servants.