The Policy Analysis of Fleet Delays at Road Border Terminals: Revealing Institutional Disharmony Using Grounded Theory

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Master of Arts in Public Policy, University of Tehran

2 Assistant Professor of Public Policy

10.22059/jppolicy.2025.399666.2764

Abstract

Border terminals, as gateways to international trade, hold a strategic position in trade policy and economic development. Using a grounded theory approach and relying on thematic analysis of field data and interviews with operational and academic experts, this study examines the mechanisms influencing fleet delays at the country’s road border crossings. The findings indicate that a combination of causal factors such as infrastructural deficiencies, procedural centralization, limited human resources, and neighbor states’ agency contextual factors including fragmented and overlapping regulations and socio‑cultural characteristics, and intervening factors like management quality and technological gaps, intensify institutional disharmony and reduce operational efficiency. The derived model explains the interrelations and impacts of these factors on fleet stoppage time. Based on this model, strategies such as establishing integrated border management, modernizing digital infrastructure, and redesigning institutional mapping are proposed, aiming to enhance institutional cohesion, reduce delays, and strengthen the competitive capacity of road border terminals.

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Iranian Journal of Public Policy

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 November 2025

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