The Key Features of Think Tanks in Iran: A Qualitative Case Study of “Good Governance for Health Think Tank”

Khanjankhani, Khatere; Takian, Amirhossein; Najibi, Seyede Maryam; Ashtariyan, Kiyomars; Emami-Razavim, Seyed Hasan; Jafarian, Ali; Jahanmehr, Nader; Ramazanian, Maryam; Shati, Mohsen; Shamsi Gooshki, Ehsan; Mohammadi, Seyed-Mehrdad; Malekzadeh, Reza; Namazi, Hamid Reza

doi:10.22034/6.1.12

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Volume 6, Issue 1 (Spring 2022)

Iran J Cult Health Promot 2022, 6(1): 88-95

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The Key Features of Think Tanks in Iran: A Qualitative Case Study of “Good Governance for Health Think Tank”

Khatere Khanjankhani

, Amirhossein Takian

, Seyede Maryam Najibi

, Kiyomars Ashtariyan

, Seyed Hasan Emami-Razavim

, Ehsan Shamsi Gooshki

, Seyed-Mehrdad Mohammadi

, Reza Malekzadeh

, Hamid Reza Namazi

Policy & Economics; Director, Department of Global Health and Public Policy; Founder, the Think Tank for Good Governance in Health, Health Equity Research Center (HERC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: (3299 Views)

Background: The current complex world necessitates timely and prompt policymaking. Think tanks are one of the independent organizations that help meet this need. This study aimed to identify the key features of think tanks in Iran, with focus on the Think Tank of Good Governance for Health.
Methods: This is a practical qualitative case study. Through purposive sampling, we identified 10 key informants as members of this think tank, with whom a virtual focus group discussion was held. The focus group lasted four hours and participants were asked to respond to five questions. We used a mixed deductive-inductive approach for data analysis, which was facilitated by ATLAS.ti9 software. Validity and reliability were examined using Lincoln and Guba evaluation criteria.
Results: We identified one main theme, four subthemes and 12 codes. The main theme was "the characteristics of a think tank in the health system". The "structure" subtheme (four codes), the "objectives" subtheme (three codes), the "implementation methods" subtheme (three codes), and finally the "financial" subtheme (two codes) were identified.
Conclusion: This study emphasizes that think tanks, as independent entities, can play a very effective role in health policy-making mainly via knowledge translation for both policymakers and the society. In addition, the proper, principled, and timely functioning of think tanks is essential in gaining public trust in public decisions, as well as providing an opportunity for public participation in macro-policies. To perform effectively and efficiently, think tanks need to consider some key principles in their structure, goals, implementation method, and finance.

Keywords: Delivery of Health Care, Health Policy, Public Health Administration

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Letter: Original Article | Subject: Special
Received: 2022/04/8 | Accepted: 2022/05/15 | ePublished ahead of print: 2022/06/10 | Published: 2022/06/21

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Khanjankhani K, Takian A, Najibi S M, Ashtariyan K, Emami-Razavim S H, Jafarian A, et al . The Key Features of Think Tanks in Iran: A Qualitative Case Study of “Good Governance for Health Think Tank”. Iran J Cult Health Promot 2022; 6 (1) :88-95
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Volume 6, Issue 1 (Spring 2022)

Back to browse issues page

Rights and permissions
	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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