Articles
Mohammadi M.,
Zolfagharzadeh M.M.,
Zakery, A.,
Karimmian Z. International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management (14684322)(1)
This paper analyses science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy making in Iran between 1990 and 2022 using the network governance approach. Four phases of STI policy are identified: human resources and publication boom, agencification era, comprehensiveness quest, and innovation turn. The analysis shows a low degree of decentralisation, good coordination, and successful interdisciplinary collaboration. However, challenges such as the pipeline model of innovation, performance measurement politics, and controversial government and university roles hinder policy reform. To create a national innovation system, a normative turn toward a broader societal definition of innovation is recommended, and the government should shift its role to facilitator rather than interventionist. Copyright © 2025 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Purpose: Due to the limitations of conventional urban planning, it is essential to develop novel techniques of urban futruing. This paper aimed to use the scenario technique to create four plausible narratives of the future of Isfahan. Also, the authors described the problems of city foresight in the Global South. Design/methodology/approach: This paper chronicles the Schwartzian steps taken to build explorative scenarios of Isfahan City in Iran in 2040. After using a STEEPV (Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic, Political, Value) analysis, the authors prioritized the collected variables by combining influence diagrams, the iceberg metaphor and an expert-based survey. Once the key uncertainties were derived, four scenarios were developed and discussed. Findings: Through thematic analysis of the official visions of Isfahan’s future and the juxtaposition of these narratives with insight yielded in the scenario-development process, the paper concludes that the Northernness of the prevailing urban imaginaries, uncritical mimetic benchmarking, depoliticization of urban futures and the decorative reductionistic visions colonize urban futures in Isfahan/Iran. Critical/deconstructive city foresight and application of discomfort/ignorance criteria in the generation of scenarios can improve the rigor and quality of city foresight in the Global South. Originality/value: The application of city foresight in the Global South has been limited. The paper is a step toward bridging this gap and providing some recommendations on how city foresight in the Global South might differ from its counterparts in the Global North. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Gastric cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among men and the second leading cause among women in Iran. Given the high incidence and mortality rates of this disease in the country, a deeper investigation into its effective causes is essential. One effective approach to uncovering the unknowns related to gastric cancer is the application of critical-deconstructive future-thinking tools, particularly Causal Layer Analysis (CLA). This qualitative study involved a review of theoretical foundations and meta-documents, along with interviews with a group of experts. By employing triangulation, the findings from the literature review were integrated with thematic analysis of the interviews through the CLA framework. At the litany layer, gastric cancer is identified as the second most prevalent and deadly cancer in Iran. The systemic layer explores the “social, technological, economic, environmental, and political” origins of gastric cancer, highlighting factors such as globalization, governance weaknesses, and cultural shifts. The third layer challenges the conceptualization of cancer as a metaphysical sin, advocating for a new narrative centered on Fundamental Prevention. Effective cancer control should focus on preventing the emergence and institutionalization of factors at the worldview and metaphorical levels that contribute to economic, political, social, and cultural attitudes, ultimately manifesting in high-risk behaviors and pathogenic processes. Designing complex social nudges is crucial for establishing this new narrative based on fundamental prevention. This study effectively combines a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews to investigate the factors influencing gastric cancer in Iran through Causal Layer Analysis (CLA) and proposes a new layer to the conventional three-pronged prevention model called “fundamental level prevention.” The findings suggest that interventions targeting worldviews and cultural beliefs can promote behavior change and enhance health outcomes, particularly among marginalized groups. Furthermore, prioritizing fundamental changes at these layers can lead to positive reductions in disease incidence. This research holds significant implications for international audiences, highlighting the complexities of gastric cancer and the necessity for cultural interventions and global collaboration to address this pressing health issue. © 2024 The Authors
