Qualitative Content Analysis of Factors Affecting Public Policy in the Field of Environment

One of the most critical challenges and the crisis of the present and future of the country is the field of environment. This field needs the consideration and monitoring of all threats and bottlenecks and, as a result, formulating specific policies and executive policies. In this regard, it is necessary to use the full capacity of individuals in the form of public participation projects. Moreover, designing models that outline guidelines for senior executives and national decision-makers considering the state of the country’s environment is required. In addition, attracting public participation to develop and improve the country’s environmental indicators in public policy-making is inevitable. A set of key success factors must be considered to succeed in the optimal development of policies. Thus, the present article sought to answer the fundamental question of what factors influence public policy in the field of the environment. To answer this question, the factors affecting the policy-making of citizen participation in the field of environment were identified using qualitative content analysis. For this purpose, interviews with experts in policy-making and the environment were conducted, and 31 subcategories were identified. Then, the interviews were categorized into six dimensions related to citizen participation in policy-making in the field of environment. The subcategories included strategic and upstream documents, decision bodies, organizational structure and arrangements, culture building, information technology, and key processes. Finally, a network model of research in the field of policy-making for citizen participation in the field of environment was proposed.