The Key Features of Think Tanks in Iran: A Qualitative Case Study of “Good Governance for Health Think Tank”

The current complex world necessitates timely and prompt policymaking. Think tanks are one of the independent organizations that help meet this need. This study aimed to identify the key features of think tanks in Iran, with focus on the Think Tank of Good Governance for Health.

This is a practical qualitative case study. Through purposive sampling, we identified 10 key informants as members of this think tank, with whom a virtual focus group discussion was held. The focus group lasted four hours and participants were asked to respond to five questions. We used a mixed deductive-inductive approach for data analysis, which was facilitated by ATLAS.ti9 software. Validity and reliability were examined using Lincoln and Guba evaluation criteria.

We identified one main theme, four subthemes and 12 codes. The main theme was "the characteristics of a think tank in the health system". The "structure" subtheme (four codes), the "objectives" subtheme (three codes), the "implementation methods" subtheme (three codes), and finally the "financial" subtheme (two codes) were identified.

This study emphasizes that think tanks, as independent entities, can play a very effective role in health policy-making mainly via knowledge translation for both policymakers and the society. In addition, the proper, principled, and timely functioning of think tanks is essential in gaining public trust in public decisions, as well as providing an opportunity for public participation in macro-policies. To perform effectively and efficiently, think tanks need to consider some key principles in their structure, goals, implementation method, and finance.