Why Do Some National Policies Make Things Worse?

Public policies are the link between national governance and public administration. The ultimate goal of these policies is to solve public problems. The policy problem refers to a need that has not been met, a value that is not respected, or an opportunity that has not been used. Problem-oriented is a characteristic of the realm of public policy. But under the law of Unintended Effects, sometimes these policies not only don't solve problems, they make them worse. Regarding the causes of these effects, many scattered studies have been done. However, no comprehensive framework has been provided to diagnose these causes. Accordingly, the main question of this article is “why some public policies make the situation worse”. In the light of the “patient-doctor” metaphor, the author examines and analyzes the twenty causes of this phenomenon by citing evidence in Iran. The author claims that this framework of causes can be a diagnostic framework for evaluating the quality of public policies. At the end, the theoretical and practical implications of this analysis will be presented and reviewed for researchers and policymakers.