Strategic Evaluation of the Policy-Making Process of Dealing with Social Issues in Iran

The main purpose of the present study is providing a critique and a critical strategic evaluation of a set of social policies adopted by the Iranian decision-making system and executive power in the past few decades. For reaching this purpose, these policies including decisions and actions regarding issues, problems, harms and crimes were identified in five categories. Then the basics of confrontation policy and policy selection, implementation, and evaluation have been reviewed. The method is meta-synthesis which uses the existing analyses, assessments and critiques of Iranian scholars and researchers, as well as the author's lived experience. After a brief review of the current status of social issues, which indicates failures and lack of success, and also a brief overview of the policies adopted, the findings show that the identification of issues has been untimely and delayed. As for the general principles, there has been a kind of uncertainty, a biological and individualistic approach, and an indifference to the basic solutions. In the field of policy review and selection, there is a lack of learning and inattention to policy experiences, centralism, sentimentality, lack of audience recognition, lack of transparency, and disregard for marginalized groups and indigenous-local conditions. As to the implementation, we see the lack or inadequate distribution of financial resources, disregard for policies, lack of infrastructure, mismatch and the problem of human resources. In the field of execution, we face the weakness of the executive power, the ceremonial/ritual confrontation, and the lack of matrix thinking and haste. As to the monitoring phase, the lack of a monitoring system and the weak participation of civil society organizations in the evaluation process are among the most important weaknesses. Finally, we have proposed strategies such as transparency and structural change.