Pathology of the Policy-Making Process of Economic Development Programs in the Republic of Iran (Case Study: Comparison of the Khatami and Ahmadinejad Governments)

Abstract

Growth and development are one of the most important current challenges of developing societies, because they both reflect the level of political, economic, and social cohesion and stability, and also represent the human, political, and economic capacities available in these societies. The reasons for not achieving economic development goals in Iran are related to several factors. This study aims to examine the Khatami and Ahmadinejad governments with the aim of diagnosing the decision-making processes of economic development programs from the perspective of public policy. The main question of the study is what harms did the decision-making processes of economic development programs in Iran face from the perspective of public policy in the Khatami and Ahmadinejad governments? The main hypothesis is that the approach of both governments in the decision-making process faced the challenge of multiple centers, but the Khatami government enjoyed a greater process of economic freedom, and the Ahmadinejad government had an approach based on slogan-based justice. This research is fundamental and was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach and a case study method. Qualitative research tools such as collecting and studying printed sources, economic documents, economic and political narratives, analyses and interpretations have been used in the time axis of the two governments. The results of the research show that several key strategies can play an important role in improving decision-making processes; these strategies, if applied simultaneously and integrated into the system, can lead to achieving transparent and sustainable change in the development process. The aim of the research is to describe, analyze, and infer the relationships of existing data and assess the extent of the impact of variables on each other in order to be able to express the damages and ultimately provide practical suggestions.