A Meta-Theoretical Review of Public Policy Process Theories: Developing an Innovative Conceptual Framework Based on the Mintzberg Matrix

Document Type : researcher

Authors
gholamhossin mohammadi 1
Rahmatollah Gholipor Souteh, 2
Gholamreza Kazemian 3
1 PhD Student,Department of Public Administration, Alborz Campus, University Tehran, Tehran,Iran.
2 Prof.Department of Public Administration Faculty of Management University of Tehran,Tehran,Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Management, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/scm.2025.508242.1855
Abstract
This article analyzes the process of public policy-making and its adaptation to the local conditions of Iran, presenting a framework based on Mintzberg's matrix for urban management. The analysis seeks to identify the shortcomings of Western theories and localize them to align with Iran's institutional, social, and political environment. The findings indicate that policy theories, despite their effectiveness in their original contexts, are unable to explain the complexities of managing Iran's metropolitan areas without modification and revision. In this research, using a contingency approach, Mintzberg's matrix has been adapted to address the specific challenges of urban management in Iran, including Tehran. This framework, focusing on the dimensions of standardization and centralization, provides a flexible tool for analyzing policy-making processes. It is capable of not only explaining the complex conditions of urban management but also offering practical solutions for designing sustainable and context-appropriate policies. The results of this study also emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary analysis in policy-making in Iran, ensuring that sociological, economic, and institutional elements are considered in the design and implementation of policies. This article provides policymakers and managers with a comprehensive conceptual tool to better align decision-making with environmental conditions, achieving sustainable development goals and efficient urban management.

Keywords

Subjects

  1. Abdulrahman Awadh, A. (2004). Women's status in Arab media. Communication Research Journal, 38. [In Persian]
  2. Adnan, M., Yousaf, Z., & Nawaz, M. B. (2019). Gender and Media in Pakistan: Representation of Women in Print and Electronic Media. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 39(4), 1441-1452.
  3. Ahmed, N., Kamran, R., & Yasmin, T. (2022). DISCURSIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN CRIME NEWS STORIES OF PAKISTANI ENGLISH PRINT MEDIA. Harf-o-Sukhan, 6(2), 147-161.
  4. Al-Hejin, Bandar. "Covering Muslim women: Semantic macrostructures in BBC news." Discourse & Communication 9.1 (2015): 19-46.
  5. Ameli, S. R. (2006). Popular culture and popular city. Cultural and Communication Studies, 2(5), 13-50. [In Persian]
  6. Badiei, N. (2001). Content analysis method. Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance [In Persian].
  7. Bartsch, R. A., Burnett, T., Diller, T. R., & Rankin-Williams, E. (2000). Gender representation in television commercials: Updating an update. Sex roles, 43, 735-743.
  8. Bayat, G., & Ghasemi, M. (2020). Ritual communication in cyberspace: Representation of Arbaeen pilgrimage on BBC Persian website. Iranian Cultural Research, 13(2), 37-65. [In Persian]
  9. Brookes, R., Lewis, J., & Wahl-Jorgensen, K. (2004). The media representation of public opinion:British television news coverage of the 2001 general election. Media, Culture and Society,26(1), 63–80.
  10. Buist, E. A., & Mason, D. S. (2010). Newspaper framing and stadium subsidization. American behavioral scientist, 53(10), 1492-1510.
  11. Buscemi, F. (2014). Television as a trattoria: Constructing the woman in the kitchen on Italian food shows. European Journal of Communication, 29(3), 304-318.
  12. Cheesman, T., Nohl, A. M., & BBC WS US Elections Study Group. (2011). Many voices, one BBC World Service? The 2008 US elections, gatekeeping and trans-editing. Journalism, 12(2), 217-233.
  13. Dimitrova, D. V., Kaid, L. L., Williams, A. P., & Trammell, K. D. (2005). War on the Web: The immediate news framing of Gulf War II. Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 10(1), 22-44.
  14. Elyas, T., Al-Zhrani, K. A., Mujaddadi, A., & Almohammadi, A. (2020). The representation (s) of Saudi women pre-driving era in local newspapers and magazines: a critical discourse analysis. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 1-20.
  15. Flood, M., & Pease, B. (2009). Factors influencing attitudes to violence against women. Trauma, violence, & abuse, 10(2), 125-142.
  16. Gabore, S. M. (2020). Western and Chinese media representation of Africa in COVID-19 news coverage. Asian Journal of Communication, 30(5), 299-316.
  17. Geertsema‐Sligh, M. (2019). Gender issues in news coverage. The International encyclopedia of journalism studies, 1-8.
  18. Gharebaghi, A. (2004). Representation. Golestaneh Monthly, 58, 37-41. [In Persian]
  19. Haghighatnasab, M., & Hedayati, S. (2005). Gender role portrayal in IRIB TV commercials. Women's Social-Psychological Studies, 3(7), 33-50. [In Persian]
  20. Hall, S. (1997). The work of representation. Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices, 2, 13-74.
  21. Hassanpour, A., & Aghababaei, E. (2016). From childish position to masculine role: Representation of childhood and gender roles in TV commercials. Journal of Cultural and Communication Studies, 13(46), 208-235. [In Persian]
  22. Hosseini, S. H., & Dashti, M. (2012). Representation of gender stereotypes in media: Study of Al-e Ahmad's fiction literature. Global Media Journal, 7(1), 27-64. [In Persian]
  23. Imran, M., & Ismail, S. M. (2022). Khaled Hosseini's women as modern archetypes: A study of obedient, resistant and empowered Afghan women. Frontiers in sociology, 7, 1041435.
  24. Karimi, M., & Bahramzadeh, M. (2021). Semiotic analysis of media feminism in BBC Persian's approach to Iranian women's issues. International Media Journal, 6(7). [In Persian]
  25. Lazar, J. (2017). Public opinion(M. Kotobi, Trans.). Ney Publishing. (Original work published 1995) [In Persian].
  26. MehdiZadeh, S. M. (2005). *Representation of Iran in Western press: Critical discourse analysis of New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde and Die Welt 1997-2000* (Doctoral dissertation). Allameh Tabataba'i University [In Persian].
  27. MehdiZadeh, S. M. (2008). Media and representation. Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance [In Persian].
  28. MehdiZadeh, S. M. (2014). Media theories: Common thoughts and critical perspectives. Hamshahri Publications [In Persian].
  29. Mokhtari, M., & Rajaei, M. S. (2016). Representation of women in commercial magazine advertisements as a platform for identity formation. Cultural-Communication Studies, 17(35), 217-244. [In Persian]
  30. Mustafa-Awad, Z., & Kirner-Ludwig, M. (2017). Arab women in news headlines during the Arab Spring: Image and perception in Germany. Discourse & Communication, 11(5), 515-538.
  31. Nassif, A., & Gunter, B. (2008). Gender representation in television advertisements in Britain and Saudi Arabia. Sex Roles, 58, 752-760.
  32. Navin, Z., & Jahandideh, M. (2004). Image of women in domestic TV series. IRIB Research Center [In Persian].
  33. Nemati Anaraki, D., Faramarzian, & Bastami. (2011). Comparative study of women's news on IRIB News Agency, BBC Persian and VOA websites in 2009. Global Media Journal, 6(2), 130-150. [In Persian]
  34. Nezhadhossein, E. (2020). Canadian and US mass media representation of Iranian women and their activities in social movements(Doctoral dissertation, Memorial University of Newfoundland).
  35. Paknia, M., & Sadeghi Pouya, M. (2018). Gender representation in the novel "Kelidar". Iranian Cultural Research, 11(4), 89-112. [In Persian]
  36. Popa, D., & Gavriliu, D. (2015). Gender representations and digital media. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 1199-1206.
  37. Rahman, B. H. (2014). Pakistani women as Objects of “Fear” and “Othering”. SAGE Open, 4(4), 2158244014556990.
  38. Risdaneva, R. (2017, November). The representation of women in the discourse of news reports: A naming analysis of social actors. In National Conference on Teachers' Professional Conference(Vol. 1, pp. 36-45).
  39. Rodrigues, U. M., Niemann, M., & Paradies, Y. (2021). Representation of news related to culturally diverse population in Australian media. Journalism, 22(9), 2313-2331
  40. Roudad, A., Montazerghaem, M., & Sarkarati, P. (2008). Women's interpretation of feminine identity representation on TV. Iranian Cultural Research, 1(2), 1-22. [In Persian]
  41. Safari, A., & Moein Foroughi Abari, F. (2010). Glass ceiling and ways to break it for women in Iran. Tadbir Publications [In Persian].
  42. Safiri, K., & Abadian, M. (2006). Women's political management: Content analysis of newspapers' approach. Shiraz University Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 24(2). [In Persian]
  43. Santoniccolo, F., Trombetta, T., Paradiso, M. N., & Rollè, L. (2023). Gender and media representations: A review of the literature on gender stereotypes, objectification and sexualization. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(10), 5770.
  44. Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models. Journal of communication, 57(1), 9-20.
  45. Shor, E., & Miltsov, A. (2020). The price of greater representation: A cross-national analysis of parliamentary representation and media coverage sentiment for women. Newspaper Research Journal, 41(4), 455-468
  46. Slakoff, D. C. (2020). The representation of women and girls of color in United States crime news. Sociology Compass, 14(1), e12741.
  47. Street, J. (2005). Mass media, politics and democracy(H. Faghihinejad, Trans.). Iran Newspaper Publishing Institute. (Original work published 2001) [In Persian].
  48. Streicher, H. W. (1974). The girls in the cartoons. Journal of Communication. 24(2), 125-129.
  49. Strinati, D. (2013). An introduction to theories of popular culture(S. Paknazar, Trans.). Gamo No. (Original work published 1995) [In Persian].
  50. Tabaza, D., & Mustafa-Awad, Z. (2022). Within and Beyond Stereotypes of Arab Women: A Corpus-based Approach to Jordanian Women’s Portrayal in English Digital News. Journal of International Women's Studies, 23(1), 367-385.
  51. Torkmanmanesh, A. (2021). Comparative study of news about Iranian women on BBC Persian, Iran International and VOA websites(Master's thesis). University of Religions and Denominations [In Persian].
  52. Vandenberghe, H. (2019). Representation of women in the news: Balancing between career and family life. Media and Communication, 7(1), 4-12.
  53. Ward, L. M., & Grower, P. (2020). Media and the development of gender role stereotypes. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 177-199.
Society Culture Media
Volume 14, Issue 54
Spring 2025
Pages 39-83

  • Receive Date 23 February 2025
  • Revise Date 15 March 2025
  • Accept Date 14 April 2025