Economic Action Regimes: A Study in Production Units of Ardabil Province

Document Type : Extracted from the dissertation

Authors

1 PhD student of Sociology - Cultural Policy, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, University of Guilan

10.22034/jeds.2026.66943.1862

Abstract

T
Introduction: The study of "regimes of action" and "economies of worth" has recently gained central significance in economic sociology. Drawing on Luc Boltanski's "sociology of critical capacity," this research conceptualizes organizational work culture not as a set of formal rules, but as a dynamic, hidden order continuously reproduced through actors' evaluative practices and critical judgments. Inspired by Boltanski's theoretical framework, this study examines the prevailing work culture and evaluation mechanisms among actors in production units across Ardabil Province, Iran.
Methodology: Employing a qualitative methodology, this research focuses on actors' lived experiences, extracting latent meanings through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with middle managers from six enterprises (including two state-owned, two private, and two family-run businesses), selected via theoretical sampling.
Results: The findings reveal that the dominant organizational culture in these production units is not primarily oriented toward efficiency and productivity, but rather revolves around rent-seeking behaviors and informal networks.
Conclusions: Data analysis identified 22 initial concepts, 11 subcategories, and ultimately 5 core categories: Rent-seeking and structural inefficiency, Challenges in raw material procurement, Lack of institutional support for production, Relationship-based organizational culture, and Workforce skill mismatches. The study demonstrates how these interrelated factors create an environment where rent-seeking logic supersedes production-oriented rationality. The research highlights how actors, when confronted with these conditions, engage in daily critical evaluations and justificatory practices that paradoxically contribute to the reproduction of the very system they critique. These findings provide significant insights into the complex interplay between organizational culture, economic practices, and justificatory regimes in Iran's industrial sector, while contributing to broader theoretical discussions in economic sociology about the relationship between critique and institutional stability. The study ultimately reveals the contradictory dynamics through which evaluative practices both challenge and sustain existing organizational orders. 

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References

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