Exploring and Explaining the Drivers Affecting the Future of Public Participation in Policy Making

Public participation in political decisions has a long history where it has been exposed to many developmental processes and has become particularly important in recent years. In Iran also this issue has recently come to the attention of policymakers. The present study aims to identify the most significant drivers affecting the future of public participation in policy making. To achieve this goal, after library studies were carried out and interviews with experts were taken, a list of 93 drivers affecting public participation in policy making was identified. In order to reduce this list, thematic analysis was used and it was finally reduced to 24 drivers. After being placed in the designed cross-impact matrix, the drivers were given to 5 experts. Then, the consolidation of their ideas about the impressiveness and impressionability of each of the drivers was entered in the cross-impact matrix. By analyzing the output of the Mick Mac software, the extent of the affect and affected of each driver was determined. Factors such as "government type", "technology level", "sanctions", and "people's knowledge and awareness" were identified as key drivers having had the highest impact on public participation in policy making in Iran.