https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/ Strategic Studies of public policy en daily 1 Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735641.html The policy of "direct payment to the final beneficiary" was implemented in Iran as part of the government's integrated financial management and information system. The aim of this article is to examine the effects of implementing this policy in various economic, financial, and administrative dimensions. The findings of this qualitative research, which was conducted based on interviews with experts and content analysis, show that in addition to reducing unnecessary costs and preventing resource stagnation, the implementation of this policy has improved government liquidity management, increased coordination between monetary and fiscal policies, promoted transparency in financial turnover, and satisfied stakeholders. At the same time, effects such as operational pressure on information systems, reduced financial flexibility of agencies, and data security concerns were also identified. Overall, the policy of payment to the final beneficiary is considered an effective step towards transparency of public finances and increasing the efficiency of the country's budget system, although the removal of institutional and technical obstacles is necessary to fully realize its goals. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735644.html AbstractResearch funding through various structures and mechanisms directly impacts the performance of funding systems and scientific outputs. This study was conducted between April 2024 and March 2025. Different approaches to research funding exert distinct effects on the research and development process, potentially strengthening or weakening specific components of the research system. Awareness of these approaches enables policymakers to allocate financial resources optimally based on the country's priority needs and to enhance research productivity. The experience of the past three decades (study period: 1990–2023) in different countries shows that policymakers can draw on these experiences to design more optimal research funding structures. In this study, research funding structures in Austria, Sweden, France, the United States, and Switzerland were analyzed and compared using a literature review method. The findings indicate that while similarities exist, the structures and methods of research funding are highly diverse. Broadly speaking, research funding structures can be categorized into five types: institutional funding, project-based funding, disciplinary group funding, individual funding, and infrastructure funding. Research funding, beyond resource allocation, serves as a policy tool to steer scientific priorities and elevate the research standing of nations. A balanced selection of approaches and mechanisms can enhance scientific productivity and international competitiveness. Thus, designing multilayered funding systems that complementarily integrate diverse approaches is essential for achieving an efficient and sustainable research system. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735639.html In the present study, an evaluation framework for science and technology policies was developed and validated using a logical approach tailored to the policy context of Iran in the field of science and technology. The framework was weighted based on expert opinions. This research is applied in purpose and employed both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection, thus falling under the category of mixed-methods research. Specifically, the evaluation framework was developed, validated, and prioritized through a review of existing models, analysis of upstream policy documents, and expert surveys. The findings revealed that the main dimensions of evaluation include: Input Stage: Financial resources, human resources, infrastructure, access to technology, laws and regulations, and institutional capacities. Process Stage: Coordination and participation, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation, planning and policymaking, commercialization and technology transfer, capacity building and training, science diplomacy, and licensing. Output Stage: Financial resources, human resources, infrastructure, access to technology, laws and regulations, and institutional capacities. Outcome Stage: Economic, scientific and technological, educational and academic, institutional and infrastructural, environmental, self-sufficiency and competitiveness, and international rankings. Impact Stage: Economic, social, scientific and technological, cultural, environmental, and international. Finally, a Key Connections Table (origin, destination, causal relationship, and type of influence) was presented based on the logical framework. This table not only serves as an evaluation framework but also as a strategic management tool, helping policymakers make evidence-based decisions. It also enables institutions to demonstrate accountability for national science and technology policies and programs https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735637.html The field of study of science, technology and innovation policy, like other fields of social science, has always been influenced by intellectual and philosophical foundations and has benefited from various fields, including philosophy, in its evolution and in its attempt to introduce itself as a science. On the one hand, in the field of innovation policy, the evolution of generations of innovation policy from purely economic and technical goals to social and cultural goals, and on the other hand, in the field of philosophy, the prominence of complementary philosophies in the field of science and technology and applied issues, as well as the connection with the field of science and technology studies, necessitates the necessity of cooperation between these two fields. This research aims to explain the bridges and paths of cooperation between philosophy and philosophy of science and technology with science, technology, and innovation policy. The results show that there are three paths of communication from philosophy to innovation policy: 1) explaining the philosophical school supporting generations of innovation policy, 2) critiquing, evaluating, and validating innovation policy using philosophical concepts and tools, and 3) studying the implications of innovation policy from the categories and issues of philosophy of science and technology. It seems that philosophy of science and technology has two paths ahead to play a greater role in the field of innovation policy: one is an independent path and the other is integration into science and technology studies. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735645.html R&D tax credit has become one of the main innovation policy instruments in Iran in recent years. However, despite the 100 percent rate stipulated in the Knowledge-Based Production Leap Law, the actual uptake of this instrument by large firms has remained below expectations. This study aims to explain the role of policy architecture in shaping the relationship between legal generosity and the actual use of the R&D tax credit by large firms. The research is applied in purpose and qualitative in method. Data were collected in 2025 through semi-structured interviews with 10 firms and 10 policymakers, implementers, and researchers in this field, while the findings cover the period from 2023 to 2025. Data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s three-stage coding procedure. The findings show that the use of this instrument by large firms is determined not merely by the nominal credit rate, but also by actual R&D capacity, the predictability of policy implementation, administrative and compliance costs, and perceived organizational risk. Accordingly, the article introduces the concept of the “gap between nominal generosity and effective generosity” and argues that the effectiveness of this instrument depends less on the legal rate itself than on the quality of institutional design, clarity of rules, coordination among involved institutions, and implementation certainty. The policy implication is that improving the effectiveness of the R&D tax credit requires shifting policy attention from increasing the support rate to enhancing implementability, reducing uncertainty, and aligning the instrument with the organizational realities of large firms. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735647.html The telecom industry, as the backbone of the digital economy, plays a critical role in fostering innovation, productivity, and economic resilience. This study aims to analyze Iran’s position in the global value chain (GVC) of the telecom industry and to explore its future development pathways through a foresight-based approach. Employing a qualitative and exploratory methodology, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with policy, industry, and academic experts. Thematic analysis was applied in six systematic stages. Findings indicate that Iran’s current position in the telecom GVC is largely concentrated in downstream activities—service provision and consumption—while its presence in upstream segments such as design, R&D, and standardization remains limited. Institutional barriers, sanctions, and insufficient investment in innovation have contributed to this gap. Nevertheless, emerging opportunities such as 5G, IoT, cloud services, and a young skilled workforce present potential levers for technological upgrading. Based on critical drivers and uncertainties, three scenarios were developed for Iran’s telecom industry: Technological Leap, Smart Linkage, and Network Disruption. The results emphasize that realizing the “Technological Leap” scenario requires regulatory transformation, targeted R&D investment, and international engagement. Conversely, the “Network Disruption” scenario implies continued stagnation. Policy recommendations are proposed to support Iran’s transition from a consumer role toward value-creating segments in the global telecom chain. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735640.html Governance of the sulfur value chain in Iran faces structural institutional and regulatory challenges due to the by‑product nature of sulfur, the multiplicity of involved institutions, and increasingly stringent environmental and safety requirements. Focusing on the institutional governance layer, this study examines the distribution of roles, regulatory instruments, and coordination mechanisms among governmental bodies associated with the sulfur value chain. The research adopts a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through semi‑structured interviews with experts, analysis of policy and regulatory documents, and a comparative review of selected international experiences, and were analyzed using hybrid coding and thematic analysis. Institutional mapping was also employed to identify key institutional nodes. The findings indicate that governance challenges in the sulfur value chain can be grouped into four major dimensions: regulatory and standardization gaps in monitoring, quality control, and environmental and safety requirements; institutional pathway failures in permitting and in translating evidence into operational standards and procedures; weak cross‑sectoral coordination and misalignment of incentives in implementation and commercialization; and shortcomings in economic policy instruments and data governance related to pricing, trade, and information‑based decision‑making. These findings suggest that shifting from a marginal, disposal‑oriented view of sulfur toward a strategic perspective requires regulatory integration https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735638.html This article adopts a political economy of governance perspective to examine the institutional, executive, and transnational mechanisms shaping Iran’s non-oil exports within the framework of the Seventh Development Plan. The study addresses the gap between the Plan’s ambitious export targets and the existing governance capacity required for their realization. Unlike much of the domestic literature that emphasizes econometric determinants or policy incentives, this research conceptualizes exports as a multi-layered governance configuration embedded in the structure of power and state capacity. An integrated four-layer conceptual model, grounded in Political Settlements and Transnational Governance, is developed to analyze export governance across four analytical levels: (1) the nexus between policy and power, (2) state institutional and executive capacity, (3) transnational networks and diasporas, and (4) multi-level governance arrangements. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative-analytical design based on qualitative content analysis of key policy documents, institutional-performance assessment of major export-related bodies over the past decade, and semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners. The findings reveal that misalignment between export objectives and prevailing power configurations, institutional fragmentation, weak inter-agency coordination, and underutilized transnational capacities have generated a persistent gap between formal targets and implementation. The analysis suggests that achieving the Seventh Plan’s export objectives requires the simultaneous reconfiguration of strategic priorities, institutional architecture, and transnational linkages within a coherent governance model. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735642.html The aim of the present study is to investigate the patterns of policy change ‎in the Lake Urmia subsystem by using the Advocacy Coalition ‎Framework as one of the most prominent theories for analyzing and ‎explaining the policy-making process and, based on that, policy change. ‎ Data were ‎collected through interviews with policy experts involved in Lake Urmia ‎governance and through official documents, and were analyzed using ‎qualitative content analysis. The results show that policy change in this ‎subsystem has been driven by policy feedback, focusing events, policy-‎oriented learning, and external perturbations such as changes in ‎government. Furthermore, Iran’s political system and the conflicts ‎embedded in the subsystem, by enabling top-down decision-making with ‎limited consensus, have shaped the trajectories of policy change. This ‎process has also generated the “devil shift” phenomenon, which constrains ‎fundamental change in core policy beliefs. These findings provide ‎practical implications for policymakers by highlighting more effective ‎approaches to conflict management and by facilitating more impactful ‎change through the participation of all coalitions within the Lake Urmia. ‎ https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735643.html The concept of sovereignty has long been a source of controversy in areas beyond its political origins. With the expansion of emerging technologies such as data and artificial intelligence and the rise of large multinational corporations, the concept of sovereignty in new areas has also become a source of debate and challenge among various political, economic, and social discourses. One of the most important goals of establishing sovereignty as a single leadership has been to create the necessary grounds for controlling the various resources of a country by its legal sovereignty. The emergence of large technology companies that have defined their revenue model based on data as an emerging asset of the new era, and the exploitation of this resource by great powers in order to materialize their economic, political, social, and geopolitical goals, reminds us more than ever of the need to pay attention to digital sovereignty. Digital sovereignty refers to the capacity of a society or government to define, govern, exercise power, and control technologies, data, and infrastructures essential for autonomy, creativity, technological diversity, and socio-technical development based on its values. In this article, we seek to cover a broader range of relevant studies by using the narrative review method to provide a general summary along with our own interpretation and critique of the sources. In this method, which is based on discourses, different sources are collected with a unique lens that is specific to the authors. https://sspp.iranjournals.ir/article_735636.html The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of flexible employment policies on women's economic participation, focusing on the experience of European Union member states and proposing context-specific solutions for Iran. The research adopts a qualitative approach and employs documentary analysis. Findings indicate that the systematic implementation of flexible employment policies—including temporal, spatial, contractual, and hybrid work arrangements, supported by care provisions and parental leave—has played a decisive role in increasing women’s employment rates in the European Union. Despite these successes, significant challenges such as the entrenchment of part-time work for women, the intensification of the double burden of work, and unequal access to flexibility benefits based on occupational and class status persist. In the context of Iran, given the persistently low rate of women’s economic participation and the existence of structural, cultural, and legal barriers, informed adaptation of European experiences is deemed essential. Accordingly, key policy recommendations include: formulating a coherent national framework for family-friendly policies, revising labor and social security laws, investing in the development of childcare and elderly care infrastructure, expanding legal frameworks for remote and hybrid work, and promoting an organizational culture based on gender equality. The success of these policies depends on coordinated implementation, continuous monitoring of outcomes, and profound cultural changes at various levels of society.