https://www.jmsp.ir/ Quarterly Journal of The Macro and Strategic Policies en daily 1 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://www.jmsp.ir/article_254775.html The petrochemical industry plays a key role in Iran’s non-oil economy, yet it is also one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Assessing its environmental efficiency is strategically important for achieving the General Policies on the Environment, Energy, and the Resistance Economy, as well as for enhancing green competitiveness. This study evaluates the environmental efficiency and green competitiveness of ten major listed petrochemical companies in Iran during the period 2021–2025 using a non-oriented Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model with undesirable outputs. Inputs include fixed assets, labor, and feedstock/energy costs, while the desirable output is operating revenue, and CO₂ emissions are treated as the undesirable output. The results show that the average environmental efficiency of the sample is 0.926, indicating a potential improvement of approximately 7.4%. Amir Kabir achieved full efficiency throughout the entire period and demonstrated the highest level of green competitiveness, whereas Jam and Nouri recorded the lowest scores. Inefficiency is mainly driven by excessive feedstock and energy consumption as well as higher CO₂ emissions. The findings can serve as a practical tool for monitoring the implementation of strategic policies and designing incentive mechanisms to improve the green performance of Iran’s petrochemical industry. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_253192.html Contemporary development theories emphasize that regional connectivity and cooperation are fundamental prerequisites for sustainable national development. Within this framework, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was introduced to promote regional integration and connectivity under the vision of reviving the ancient Silk Road. However, the current China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Central Asian routes bypass both Afghanistan and Iran, diverging from the historical Silk Road while overlooking the strategic position, geopolitical significance, and developmental interests of these two countries. This study aims to identify the principal driving forces and strategic uncertainties shaping the future of regional development and to develop plausible future scenarios for regional development through the establishment of a new East–West corridor passing through Afghanistan.The research adopts an exploratory futures studies approach by integrating the Delphi method, structural analysis using MICMAC, and scenario development based on the Global Business Network (GBN) methodology. Initially, 160 influencing factors were identified through a comprehensive literature review and unstructured expert interviews. These factors were subsequently classified into 23 principal variables according to the PESTEL framework. The validity, consensus, and convergence of expert judgments were assessed using the Friedman, Kendall's W, and Wilcoxon tests. Structural analysis was then employed to examine the interrelationships among the variables and identify the key driving forces based on their influence and uncertainty, resulting in the construction of a scenario matrix and the development of four alternative scenarios: Golden Belt, Qaf Fortress, Vicious Cycle, and Protected Zones. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_252845.html Urban tourism is an important driver of economic and social development, contributing significantly to employment generation, income growth, and improved quality of life in cities. With its diverse historical, cultural, natural, and recreational attractions, the metropolis of Tehran has considerable potential for tourism development. However, these capacities have not yet been utilized in a systematic and effective manner. This study aims to analyze tourism development in Tehran by integrating macro-level policy and managerial dimensions. The research is applied in terms of purpose and employs a descriptive–analytical survey design. The statistical population comprised 140 tourism specialists, managers, and experts, from whom 101 respondents were selected as the sample based on the Krejcie and Morgan table. Data were collected through a questionnaire, and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha, with a coefficient of 0.782. Subsequently, the internal and external factors affecting tourism development in Tehran were identified and evaluated using the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) and External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrices. The findings indicate that the final IFE score of 3.20 reflects the relative dominance of strengths over weaknesses, whereas the EFE score of 2.95 indicates that threats outweigh opportunities. Accordingly, Tehran’s strategic position in tourism development falls within the competitive (ST) quadrant. The findings suggest that pursuing strategies that capitalize on existing strengths, effectively respond to external threats, and address managerial and institutional weaknesses can contribute to the sustainable development of urban tourism in this metropolis. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_248528.html The medical device industry has recently evolved into a strategic and competitive sector in international trade, driven by technological complexities, regulatory requirements, and geopolitical transformations. Under such conditions, the development of exports in this industry—particularly in the Persian Gulf markets—requires the adoption of innovative trade diplomacy approaches and effective coordination between governmental and firm-level actors. Accordingly, the present study aims to design a trade diplomacy model for the medical device industry, focusing on export-oriented firms operating in these markets.This research adopts a qualitative approach based on grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin paradigm model). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 experts, including industry managers, academic scholars, and policymakers, and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding, leading to the identification of approximately 300 initial codes and the development of a paradigmatic model.The findings indicate that causal conditions include competitive, geographical, political, and cultural factors, while the central phenomenon is grounded in adaptability, regional convergence, and optimal resource allocation. Moreover, international relations, policymaking, and competitive potential were identified as contextual conditions, and political and financial risks as intervening conditions. Key strategies include technological acceleration, multilateral collaboration, and market intelligence development, with outcomes reflected in export dynamism, knowledge-based economic development, and the strengthening of health diplomacy.Overall, institutionalizing trade diplomacy at the macro-policy level can serve as a strategic instrument for promoting knowledge-based exports, reducing external vulnerabilities, and enhancing sustainable competitive advantage in the medical device industry https://www.jmsp.ir/article_251627.html The present study was conducted with the aim of modeling and measuring the effectiveness of the global model of the teaching and learning clinic in schools, relying on the general policies of the education system. This study was applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of its method. The statistical population consisted of 500 high school students in Rashtkhar, of whom 217 were selected as samples based on the Morgan table and by simple random method. The data collection tools were the Grasha and Richman New Teaching Methods Questionnaire (1996), the researcher-made questionnaire of the teaching and learning clinic, and the Fundamental Transformation of Education Document (2011), whose content validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.89. The data were analyzed using SPSS and LISREL software and using descriptive statistics, correlation test, regression analysis, and structural equation modeling. The results showed that the implementation of the teaching and learning clinic model in schools has a direct and significant effect on students' academic achievement (β=0.571, p<0.05). The results of the structural equation model also showed that the implementation of general education system policies along with the implementation of the teaching and learning clinic approach can explain 0.35 of the changes in learning and 0.43 of the changes in students' academic achievement, respectively. These findings indicate that the teaching and learning clinic model can improve students' learning quality and should be considered by policymakers and educational administrators. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_254178.html The emergence of the metaverse as an immersive digital environment has raised questions concerning digital interaction, trust, information security, privacy, algorithmic fairness, and the social evaluation of emerging technologies. Despite international scholarship, empirical evidence on factors associated with social perceptions of the metaverse in Iran remains limited. This study examines the structural associations among metaverse use, trust and information security, perceived algorithmic fairness, and social perception of the metaverse, while also considering privacy concerns and problematic metaverse use through supplementary analyses. The study employed a quantitative, applied, and cross-sectional design using structural equation modeling implemented in Python. Data were collected from 200 undergraduate students at Mohaghegh Ardabili University using a questionnaire with five-point Likert-scale items. The findings showed that metaverse use, trust and information security, and perceived algorithmic fairness were positively and significantly associated with social perception of the metaverse. Trust and information security were also positively associated with metaverse use, which formed an estimated indirect pathway between trust and information security and social perception. Supplementary analyses indicated that privacy concerns were negatively associated with trust and information security, perceived algorithmic fairness, and metaverse use. In contrast, metaverse use, perceived realism, and escape from everyday problems were positively associated with problematic metaverse use. Given the cross-sectional design, these relationships are interpreted as statistical associations rather than evidence of causality or temporal precedence. The findings provide empirical evidence on the sociotechnological conditions associated with metaverse perceptions among university students and offer context-specific implications for digital governance and future research. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_253090.html This study examines the underlying logic of higher education policymaking in Iran. The main research question investigates the extent to which higher education policies reflected in upstream documents are grounded in a demand-oriented approach, and the implications of maintaining this pattern for achieving policy objectives. The study adopts a mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, the provisions pertaining to higher education within the Comprehensive Scientific Map of the Country and the First to Seventh National Development Plans were identified through thematic analysis and subsequently coded based on indicators derived from the supply- and demand-oriented literature, as well as macro-level policy documents. In the quantitative phase, secondary data from the Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education were used to descriptively analyze trends in the number and share of students enrolled in engineering and technical fields. The findings show that despite policy-level emphasis on aligning education with employment and national needs, the dominant policymaking logic continues to prioritize the quantitative expansion of student capacity and a strong state role in regulating supply. Concurrently, enrollment trends in engineering and technical disciplines indicate a relative decline in social demand, increasing mismatch between educational output and labor market needs, and reduced attractiveness of these fields. Overall, the study argues that achieving macro-level policy objectives in higher education requires a gradual shift from the prevailing supply-oriented model toward an approach that emphasizes state regulation rather than direct expansion, strengthens university autonomy, and institutionalizes demand-oriented mechanisms in engineering and technical human resource policymaking. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_252526.html The present study aimed to design and empirically test a localized model (adapted to the Islamic, cultural, and infrastructural conditions of the country) for managing digital transformation in Iranian sports events to achieve sustainable development within the framework of the general policies of the system (clauses six, seven, eighteen, thirty-four, and thirty-five of the Fifth Development Plan). This research is applied-developmental and descriptive-correlational in nature, of a survey type. The statistical population was 357 sports event managers and experts who were selected by stratified random method. research tool was a 49-item Likert-scale questionnaire that was developed based on a qualitative study (12 interviews and analysis of 400 documents). Validity and reliability were confirmed, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and PLS4 software. The findings showed that the inhibiting factors, although seemingly obstacles, in the Iranian context, by creating institutional pressure, lead organizations to adopt digital transformation strategies and increase awareness of sustainability barriers; Therefore, they have a positive impact on strategies and sustainable development. Facilitating factors have a positive impact on strategies, but their direct impact on sustainable development is not significant. Strategies have the strongest impact on sustainable development, and their full mediating role between facilitating factors and sustainable development was confirmed. The result is that facilitators do not lead to sustainability without being transformed into operational strategies for digital transformation. The validated model provides a roadmap for smartening sports events and realizing general policies in the areas of sports development, social justice, and information technology. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_253833.html This study aims to present an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) framework for policy-making regarding the strategic management of crime and social harm prevention, in alignment with the Constitution and the System's general policies on judicial affairs. From a paradigmatic perspective, the research is grounded in pragmatism and employs a mixed-methods approach (qualitative-quantitative). The qualitative phase utilized thematic analysis, while the quantitative phase employed Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). Participants consisted of 20 experts and practitioners in the judicial field, selected via purposive sampling and interviewed using a semi-structured format until theoretical saturation was reached. Qualitative data were coded using MAXQDA software, resulting in the extraction of 134 initial codes, 30 core themes, and 13 overarching themes. The ISM results revealed that the prevention process is organized across distinct levels. Variables related to the typology, classification, and scope of social anomalies were identified as independent, foundational variables (characterized by high influence and low dependence) that serve as the model's drivers. Variables such as internal and external factors, capability feasibility assessments, and vision formulation fell into the "critical zone," characterized by high instability and mutual interaction. Finally, themes concerning the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of strategies were identified as the model's dependent output variables.