The rapid evolution of communication technologies, the growing complexity of the digital ecosystem, and the social and generational shifts among users have made it increasingly necessary to reconsider state intervention and regulation in cyberspace. This study seeks to explain the strategies for transitioning from command-and-control governance to behavioral governance in the cyberspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to propose an indigenous model for improving the effectiveness, legitimacy, and sustainability of governance in this field. The central question is what strategies and mechanisms can enable such a transition in a context where direct control, restriction, and coercive intervention are becoming less effective, and on which institutional and cultural foundations this transition can be built in Iran.



This research adopts a qualitative approach using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology. Data were collected through 28 in-depth semi-structured interviews with policymakers, managers, and cyberspace experts and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding.



The findings show that the declining effectiveness of command-and-control governance is linked to factors such as generational change, the inevitability of emerging technologies, the rising costs of monitoring and control, and the reduced capacity of coercive interventions. In contrast, strategies such as choice architecture, behavioral nudges, algorithmic regulation, stronger platform accountability, and self-regulatory mechanisms offer significant potential to enhance governance effectiveness. The study concludes that behavioral governance does not negate state authority; rather, it redefines its exercise in ways that reduce social costs, strengthen stakeholder cooperation, improve policy efficiency, and foster more sustainable user compliance in cyberspace.