Policy Learning in Iran's Technology and Innovation Development (The Study of Third, Fourth and Fifth Development Plan regulations)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Allameh Tabatabaei University,Tehran,Iran

2 Assistant Professor, faculty of accounting and management, Allameh Tabatabaei University

3 Associate Professor, faculty of accounting and management, Allameh Tabatabaei University

Abstract

Over the time, policy change and learning play a significant role in national decision making and improving transparency of policy situations. On this basis, current paper has concentrated on Iran's national development plans, as the major national mid-term developmental policies, to investigate policy learning and its mechanisms in the most crucial policy attempts to develop technology and innovation (T&I). Analyzing five past development plans led to selection of third to fifth plans, which have more coherent and integrated approach to T&I development by including a dedicated section in this regard, as suitable case studies for this paper. After content analysis of relevant policy documents in addition to conducting eighteen interviews with key policy actors of development planning process related to T&I articles, sixteen major policy issues were extracted in which direct implications are apparent in at least two investigated plans. Dominant share of policy learning belongs to political and technical learning with eight and seven frequencies respectively. Dominancy of political learning, as the most irrelevant type of policy learning, reflects low maturity of learning in T&I policy actors in Iran. Furthermore, this indicates superficial commitment of high level politicians to the most fundamental T&I policy objectives, which haven't fulfilled yet without any sign of sufficient attempts to meet defined objectives. Technical and conceptual learning (with seven and five occurrences) refer to relatively successful policy endeavours that are being tried to be improved or continued, usually by low and mid-level policy actors. Two key cases of identified social learning unveil effective role of public media and policy experts to widen and strengthen the discourse on innovation and knowledge-based development. Resulted social learning has brought mentioned discourse to the attention and commitments of high level politicians. Our findings contribute to more detailed recognition of Iran's T&I policy environment in the past two decades as well as decision making in near future.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Innovation Management Journal
Volume 6, Issue 2 - Serial Number 20
September 2017
Pages 1-30

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History

  • Receive Date: 16 April 2017
  • Revise Date: 05 February 2018
  • Accept Date: 12 December 2017

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