The Judiciarys Law Journal

The Judiciarys Law Journal

The Impact of the Culture of Lawlessness and Perceptions of Corruption on the Rule of Law

Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article

Authors
saadolah moradi 1
Farajollah Rahnavard 2
Mohammad Hossein zarei 3
mina alavi 4
1 PhD student, Department of Public Administration, Qazvin Branch, Isalamic Azad University , Qazvin , Iran
2 Professor, Department of Public Administration, Institute for Management and Planning Studies, Tehran. Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Public Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
4 University, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran.Tehran, Iran
10.22106/jlj.2025.2074005.6401
Abstract
The rule of law is not merely a set of written rules, but an “institutionalized honesty” in the mutual interaction between the government and citizens, serving as the backbone of the legitimacy of state institutions and social stability. This study employs a mixedmethods approach to elucidate the multidimensional effects of “Culture of Lawlessness” and “Perception of Corruption” on the enforcement of laws within Iran’s judicial system. In the qualitative phase, four principal vicious cycles were identified through in-depth interviews with thirty senior managers and experts and thematic analysis. In the quantitative phase, data were collected through questionnaires administered to 108 senior managers and experts from institutions affiliated with the Judiciary across seven provinces, in order to empirically test the model derived from the qualitative findings. Analysis of the data using structural equation modeling demonstrated that a “culture of lawlessness” has a statistically significant negative effect on the enforcement of regulations, thereby providing empirical support for procedural justice theory. It also demonstrated that “perception of corruption” has a statistically significant negative effect on both civil justice and criminal justice, corroborating “governance quality” theory. The principal innovation of this study lies in identifying the moderating role of “quality of life”; improvements in quality of life significantly attenuate the negative effect of perception of corruption on civil justice. These findings underscore the necessity of integrating structural reforms with cultural and social policies and provide an evidence-based framework for rebuilding public trust and strengthening the rule of law.

Keywords
Keywords: Culture of Law Evasion
Perception of Corruption
Law Enforcement
Rule of Law
Iranian Judicial System
Thematic Analysis
Structural Equation Modeling
Subjects

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The Judiciarys Law Journal
Volume 90, Issue 134
Summer 2026
Pages 311-336

  • Receive Date 12 October 2025
  • Accept Date 20 October 2025
  • First Publish Date 15 February 2026
  • Publish Date 23 August 2026