University of Tehran Iranian Journal of Public Policy 2538-5577 11 2 2025 06 22 Policy Learning and Public Policy Making: Analysis of the Scope of Previous Studies Policy Learning and Public Policy Making: Analysis of the Scope of Previous Studies 157 181 102512 10.22059/jppolicy.2025.102512 FA Ali Hamidizadeh Associate Professor of Public Administration, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran 0000-0003-4489-570X Hasan Dananaei Fard Professor of Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0003-1805-7323 Seyedeh Hoda Shams Ph.D Student of Public Administration, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran 0009-0005-1626-7433 Journal Article 2025 06 26 The concept of policy learning attracted the interest of most researchers and scholars in the area of policy making in the past two decades. At its most general level, policy learning is updating policy makers' beliefs and enhancing their information and knowledge. Because of the thematic dispersion in policy learning, no comprehensive understanding of this concept has been achieved yet although many studies have been conducted on it. The present research intended to create a big picture of policy learning in governance. For this purpose, it used one of the most popular review methods – the methodological framework introduced by Arksey & O'Malley in 2005 for conducting scoping studies. A literature search was made using Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases for finding the related research, and the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used for screening. In all, 48 studies entered the study, and the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used to improve the quality of the review. The results showed that the previous research was mainly focused on policy learning in relation to the other concepts in policy making (policy learning and the different forms of policy learning, policy evaluation, the advocacy coalition framework, policy change, governance, interest groups and policy actors, policy transfer, policy failure, policy dispersion, and policy convergence). Finally, suggestions were offered for future studies.         The concept of policy learning attracted the interest of most researchers and scholars in the area of policy making in the past two decades. At its most general level, policy learning is updating policy makers' beliefs and enhancing their information and knowledge. Because of the thematic dispersion in policy learning, no comprehensive understanding of this concept has been achieved yet although many studies have been conducted on it. The present research intended to create a big picture of policy learning in governance. For this purpose, it used one of the most popular review methods – the methodological framework introduced by Arksey & O'Malley in 2005 for conducting scoping studies. A literature search was made using Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases for finding the related research, and the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used for screening. In all, 48 studies entered the study, and the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used to improve the quality of the review. The results showed that the previous research was mainly focused on policy learning in relation to the other concepts in policy making (policy learning and the different forms of policy learning, policy evaluation, the advocacy coalition framework, policy change, governance, interest groups and policy actors, policy transfer, policy failure, policy dispersion, and policy convergence). Finally, suggestions were offered for future studies.         https://jppolicy.ut.ac.ir/article_102512_75341373eb85cb53e7abe2b42ed38f74.pdf