Hadi Khanmohammadi; Niloufar Mozafari
Abstract
Despite the transformative role of AI in modernizing governance systems, many government organizations face challenges in successfully implementing this technology due to the lack of an appropriate platform. The main objective of this study is to identify and classify critical infrastructures for improving ...
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Despite the transformative role of AI in modernizing governance systems, many government organizations face challenges in successfully implementing this technology due to the lack of an appropriate platform. The main objective of this study is to identify and classify critical infrastructures for improving the level of readiness and successful deployment of AI in the public sector. The present study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing McNabb’s process model and the thematic analysis method. For this purpose, scientific articles published in the period 2019 to 2025 in reputable databases (including Google Scholar and Web of Science) were screened, and finally 30 selected articles were analyzed. Data analysis showed that the ecosystem of AI readiness in the public sector is multidimensional in nature and requires balanced development in seven areas: information technology, data, organizational and management, legal and policymaking, cultural and social, economic and investment, and human resources.While these infrastructures operate independently, they also interact and synergize with each other, forming the overall ecosystem required for the adoption, localization, and effective use of AI in public institutions. The findings show that creating interdisciplinary structures, data standardization, human resource training, flexible regulation, and sustainable financing are among the key requirements on the path to smart government.
Afsaneh Dehghanpour-Farashah; Pouyan Pouyanfar; Masoud Banafi
Abstract
Public budgeting is widely recognized as a primary instrument of fiscal and economic policymaking. The integration of big data can create new capacities within budgeting systems by enhancing transparency, improving forecasting accuracy, strengthening accountability, and optimizing resource allocation ...
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Public budgeting is widely recognized as a primary instrument of fiscal and economic policymaking. The integration of big data can create new capacities within budgeting systems by enhancing transparency, improving forecasting accuracy, strengthening accountability, and optimizing resource allocation processes. Existing studies have identified general trends in the application of big data in budgeting systems; however, they have not comprehensively examined the challenges, opportunities, and policy guidelines related to its implementation within policymaking systems. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the challenges, solutions, and opportunities associated with the use of big data in Iran’s public budgeting system. The research adopts a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. The study population consisted of experts in public budgeting, who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected through semi‑structured interviews, and theoretical saturation was achieved after the fifteenth interview. The collected data were organized and analyzed according to the stages of thematic analysis.The analysis resulted in the identification of 24 main themes that explain the various dimensions of challenges, strategies for overcoming these challenges, and opportunities arising from the application of big data in Iran’s public budgeting system. The findings provide a scientific basis for policymakers and public sector managers seeking to reform budgeting processes through data‑driven approaches and to enhance financial transparency and accountability.
Somayeh Ramezani; Shahla Sohrabi; Gholamreza Salimi
Abstract
Establishing smart human resource (HR) governance extends beyond the mere implementation of digital technologies or artificial intelligence (AI). It necessitates the creation of a robust framework wherein decision-making is characterized by accountability, transparency, and fairness, ensuring that data-driven ...
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Establishing smart human resource (HR) governance extends beyond the mere implementation of digital technologies or artificial intelligence (AI). It necessitates the creation of a robust framework wherein decision-making is characterized by accountability, transparency, and fairness, ensuring that data-driven insights augment—rather than replace—human judgment. To achieve this, organizations must foster alignment across three interconnected tiers: the individual, the organizational, and the institutional.The findings indicated that failure to establish smart governance results from misalignment across four dimensions: technological, human capital development, justice-oriented, and cultural. In the technological dimension, a gap exists between individuals’ data literacy, organizational infrastructures, and the absence of national data standards. In the human capital dimension, a substantial gap exists between employees’ analytical capabilities, organizational training systems, and macro-level educational policies. In the justice-oriented dimension, employees lack sufficient understanding of systemic justice, organizational transparency is limited, and mechanisms for monitoring artificial intelligence are inadequately implemented. In the cultural dimension, misalignment is evident in psychological readiness, leadership styles, and institutional discourse on digital transformation. The findings suggest that smart HR governance is a network-based process, and without alignment across individual, organizational, and institutional levels, its establishment will face structural failure.
Reza Maleki
Abstract
AbstractNational-level management of Iran’s public libraries faces multiple challenges. This study aims to identify and map the system of issues in the management of Iran’s public libraries. Using a qualitative approach, the research employed a meta-synthesis method based on Sandelowski and ...
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AbstractNational-level management of Iran’s public libraries faces multiple challenges. This study aims to identify and map the system of issues in the management of Iran’s public libraries. Using a qualitative approach, the research employed a meta-synthesis method based on Sandelowski and Barroso’s seven-step model. From an initial pool of 64 articles on the study topic conducted in Iran from a national perspective and published between 2011 (1390) and 2025 (1404), 13 articles were ultimately selected after several screening stages, using the criteria of study population relevance, topical relevance, methodological credibility, and currency. The findings and results of the selected studies were then analyzed. By integrating the qualitative findings of the included studies, the extracted content was synthesized into 61 codes and 14 concepts, which were grouped into four categories: policymaking, planning, implementation, and evaluation. According to the results, the major issues across these categories were as follows: policymaking issues—ambiguity in roles and institutional arrangements, fragmentation and lack of policy coherence; planning issues—a strategic gap between the current and desired states, and environmental uncertainties; implementation issues—human resource challenges and the development of organizational culture; and evaluation issues—inefficiencies in strategic control systems and misalignment between evaluation indicators and organizational missions. In conclusion, national-level management of Iran’s public libraries is confronted with an interconnected network of issues spanning policymaking, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Addressing these challenges requires a systematic and holistic mechanism and approach that recognizes the interdependence of issues and their reciprocal effects. Rather than treating each managerial problem in isolation, this approach conceptualizes the set of issues within the four domains of policymaking, planning, implementation, and evaluation as a continuous, iterative cycle and process.
Rasoul Motazedian
Abstract
The present study seeks to analyze the challenges associated with the implementation of administrative reform programs. To accomplish this objective, the research was conducted using a qualitative approach grounded in grounded theory methodology. Data were gathered through interviews with key actors ...
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The present study seeks to analyze the challenges associated with the implementation of administrative reform programs. To accomplish this objective, the research was conducted using a qualitative approach grounded in grounded theory methodology. Data were gathered through interviews with key actors in the field of administrative reform, employing purposive sampling. The data collection process continued until theoretical saturation was reached. After transcription, the interviews were analyzed using systematic coding procedures. Based on the Strauss and Corbin systematic approach, the findings identified the “inactive role of the political sphere” as the core phenomenon. The causal conditions include ambiguity in the national governance system and ambiguity in the dual relationship between politics and administration. The contextual conditions encompass macro-environmental influences and a culture characterized by weak commitment to programmatic planning. The intervening conditions consist of deficiencies in the planning system and weaknesses within the institutional body responsible for administrative reform planning. In response to these conditions, strategies such as formulating plans merely for symbolic compliance and imitating foreign models are adopted. Ultimately, limited implementation capacity and weaknesses in the evaluation system were identified as the primary consequences of this process. These findings provide a systematic explanation of the barriers to administrative reform and underscore the necessity of strengthening planning institutions and establishing sustainable mechanisms to enhance policy efficiency and effectiveness within the administrative system.
Reza Vaezi; Hossein Adhami
Abstract
Human development inequalities represent a major challenge for contemporary societies and hinder the realization of public interest and social justice. These inequalities largely arise from unequal access to basic capabilities in key areas such as education, health, and income. Despite the rapid expansion ...
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Human development inequalities represent a major challenge for contemporary societies and hinder the realization of public interest and social justice. These inequalities largely arise from unequal access to basic capabilities in key areas such as education, health, and income. Despite the rapid expansion of digital communication technologies, traditional mass media—particularly radio and television—continue to possess significant potential to promote public interest by producing and disseminating content that contributes to the development of basic capabilities and the reduction of human development inequalities. The present study aims to identify the media mechanisms through which the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) can contribute to reducing human development inequalities in Iran. This research adopts a qualitative approach and employs the constructivist grounded theory method. The study participants consisted of academic scholars and executive experts in the fields of media and public administration who possess sufficient knowledge of development issues. Data were collected through semi‑structured interviews and analyzed through iterative coding procedures. The findings reveal five key mechanisms through which IRIB can contribute to reducing human development inequalities: trust‑building, message production management, message distribution management, organizational resource management, and strengthening institutional cooperation.
