Analysis of Strategic Themes in the Iran General Policies: Application of Framework Analysis in Policy Research

The purpose of this study is to extract the strategic themes and the predominant approach in the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced by the Supreme Leader. In this policy research, 37 general policies were selected and analyzed. To analyze strategic themes, a basic codebook was developed based on the strategic management literature and research objectives. Then, the text of general policies was read several times and the strategic themes considered in the policies were counted using the thematic analysis method based on the codebook school. Using the thematic framework analysis, the general policies were analyzed in three thematic frameworks, including the strategic aspect, the core issue, and the prevailing approach. A total of 1413 policy codes were extracted, which were categorized in their strategic aspects in terms of goal, strategy, tactics, and law. The results of the analysis through using qualitative analysis software NVivo 12 show that the aspect of about 60% of policies is goals and strategies and the aspect of about 40% of them is tactics and law. About 75% of the policies are related to economic issues and 60% of the policies are focused on science and technology. Also, about 40% of the total content of policies is economic issues and about 30% of them are general, cultural, and social issues in equal proportions. The predominant approach of about 40% of policies is problem identification and solution, and the approach of about 40% of them is to seize opportunities. The approach of about 20% of general policies is crisis prevention and resolution. Finally, suggestions and guidelines for reviewing general policies are provided.