Identification and Prioritization Public Administration Problems in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Extended Abstract
Abstract
For a long time, communities have faced many problems, among which, management problems have been very important. These problems, due to their multidimensionality and complexity, can affect other dimensions as well. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and examine them with great attention and accuracy. The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritization public administration problems in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which examines the problems using a mixed method. An outline of this research, according to the purpose, subject, and approach of the research; It is a partially mixed sequential dominant status design. In three quantitative-qualitative-quantitative stages, three methods of "quantitative content analysis- thematic analysis - modified Delphi analysis" have been used to investigate the problems. In the first stage, using the method of quantitative content analysis, the thesis and dissertations topics of the first level universities of the country were reviewed and 329 management topics were identified and reviewed. In the second stage, using the qualitative method of thematic analysis and 12 interviews with experts, 250 key points, 72 basic themes, 40 organizing themes and 39 global themes were identified. In order to understand the problems, they were classified into 36 main problems, each of which they fell into political, economic, cultural, social, law and legal categories. Finally, in the third stage, these problems were prioritized using the modified Delphi method. Based on the findings and studies, the results show that the main cause of public administration problems is the decision-making structure and inefficient administrative-executive system.
Introduction
Since the beginning of civilization, societies have always had to challenge an extensive range of problems, among which, management problems have been of paramount significance. Given their multifaceted nature and complexity, these issues can affect other aspect of personal and collective life as well. Therefore, identifying and scrutinizing these problems is utmost significance. Today, countries seek to identify problems in their country by employing various and sustainable methods and strategies. Enhancing the quality of the political, economic, social and cultural plans highly relies identifying and alleviating the problems of the society. Therefore, the implementation of effective mechanisms in this regarding by seeking out accurate troubleshooting methods can be highly effective in resolving the existing shortcomings. As such, the purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize public administration problems in the Islamic Republic of Iran, using a mixed method approach.
Research purposes
The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize public administration problems in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Tools and methods
Considering the aims, subject, and approach of the research, the current study employs a mixed methods design using a partially mixed sequential dominant status design. As such, the study is performed in three phases of quantitative-qualitative-quantitative stages, respectively employing quantitative content analysis, thematic analysis, modified Delphi methods in each stage.
In the first stage, one of the main objectives of this study was analyze the content of the titles of articles on public administration using the content analysis method on dissertations proposed in the years between 2002 and 2019. The required data for this was collected from library archives for which data mining tools were employed. To this end, the researcher has counted the dissertations from the statistical population using the worksheet tool.
The qualitative method of thematic analysis is employed in the second stage. To this end, semi-structured interviews with academic and executive experts are conducted to extract codes that are in turn used for thematic analysis using Attride-Sterling (2001) approach. The extracted notions are classified in three themes of “basic, organizing and global”.
The third stage of the research pertains to the modified Delphi method, in which the comments of experts and specialists are analyzed in three consecutive rounds. It should be noted that for this stage, the selected experts, while having the inclusion criteria for second stage, must have several years of executive experience in the field of public administration and related problems, and are hence highly familiar with government problems. Considering the aforementioned discussion, that is, the scientific and executive background in this field, 15 people were considered for the purposes of the study, of which 12 people participated in three Delphi rounds.
Discussion and findings
In the first stage, using the method of quantitative content analysis, the topics of dissertations of the top universities of the country were examined, during which 329 articles on management were identified and studied. In the second stage, using the qualitative method of thematic analysis and interviews with 12 experts of the field, 250 key points, 72 basic themes, 40 organizing themes and 39 global themes were identified. To gain a better in-depth knowledge regarding the field, they were classified into 36 main problems, each of which were assigned into political, economic, cultural, social, law and legal categories. Finally, in the third stage, these problems were prioritized using the modified Delphi method. Topics such as “e-government, service quality, staff empowerment, improving organizational culture, organizational structure, improving human relations and administrative corruption” were the topics with most frequency among others, indicating that, in the last two decades, the aforementioned topics have been focal points of management around which other issues have been established.
Results
The results of the study indicate that the main cause of public management problems is the inefficient decision-making structure and the administrative-executive system. Regarding corruption, the issue of lack of legally-binding and transparent rules and close monitoring of the behaviors of decision-makers and policy makers of the government and parliament and the authorities of the executive apparatus has further exacerbated the conditions. Accordingly, the legislative and the executive branches of the government can enact comprehensive laws and rulings with the aim of making economic activities more transparent in governing decisions and prevent the formation of corruption-inducing opportunities through effective oversight. As mentioned in this study, the centralized decision-making structure and the extensive administrative and executive system are major precursors to corruption. Therefore, strategies such as “e-government expansion”, “enhancing government agility” and “facilitation of regulation” should be considered by the government and the legislature when approving annual budgets and development programs.