Document Type : Original Article
Author
استادیار گروه مدیریت دولتی دانشگاه شهید بهشتی
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the challenges in implementing administrative reform programs. To achieve this objective, the research was conducted using a qualitative approach based on grounded theory. Data were collected through interviews with key actors in the field of administrative reform using purposive sampling, continuing until theoretical saturation was reached. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed through systematic coding. Findings, following Strauss and Corbin’s structured approach, identified the "inactive political arena" as the central phenomenon. Causal conditions included "ambiguity in the governance system" and "ambiguity in the politics-administration dichotomy"; contextual conditions encompassed "macro-environmental effects" and a "culture of non-planning"; and intervening conditions consisted of "weakness in the planning system" and "weakness in the administrative reform planning institution." In response to these conditions, strategies such as "formulating programs merely for the sake of having a program," and "imitating foreign models," were employed. Ultimately, "low implementability" and "weak evaluation mechanisms" were identified as the main consequences of this process. These results not only provide a systematic explanation of the obstacles to administrative reform but also highlight the necessity of strengthening planning institutions and establishing sustainable mechanisms to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of policy implementation in the administrative system.
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