Designing a Policy Capacity Framework in the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis)

Policy capacity refers to the ability to develop “policy options” to achieve public goals. The policy has a close interaction with the legislation. On one hand, policies are converted to the law in bills and plans format, and on the other, some laws have policy aspects themselves. Therefore, if the capacity of policymaking is strengthened in parliament, then the legislation will be strengthened. There are evidence and issues such as hyperlexis, a long line of bills and plans in committees, and the required research policy to create dynamic and constitutional rules and laws, increasing the requirement to study policymaking capacity promoting in Parliament. The aim of this research is to develop a model through the identification of constituent elements of policymaking capacity and their relationships. This study was conducted utilizing a qualitative approach and case study strategy in which Parliament, as a case study, is explored deeply and qualitatively. Statements of the Supreme Leader, interviews with members of Parliament, the legislative and policy experts, expert reports, and plans and bills were used as data collection tools because the study is based on multi-method or pluralism. The data analysis method was based on thematic analysis and eventually, the final model was developed with the CIPP, context, input, process, and product, and framework. Capacity-building infrastructures, policy capacity enrichment, and improved policy capacity, in addition to the environment governing the policy capacity, are among the model elements, whose attention and operationalizing lead to the issue of constitutional laws and the strengthening of the special functions of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.