Iranian Journal of Public Policy

Iranian Journal of Public Policy

Identification and Prioritization of Key Factors in Policy Crowdsourcing and Public Participation: A mixed method study

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Maryam Razmand 1
Mohsen Torabi 1
Tayebeh Abbasnejad 2
1 Department of Public Management Faculty of Management, Economics and Accounting, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2 Department of management Faculty of Management, Economics and Accounting, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
10.22059/jppolicy.2026.402178.2784
Abstract
The present study aims to identify and prioritize the factors influencing policy crowdsourcing and public participation to improve the policymaking process. This applied research follows a mixed-method approach. In the first stage, through meta-synthesis, domestic (1381–1402) and international (1969–2023) scientific documents were reviewed; from 972 identified documents, 75 were analyzed, producing 256 codes, 46 concepts, and 11 categories. In the second stage, a two-round fuzzy Delphi and expert opinions from two governmental organizations in Hormozgan province validated 17 concepts. In the third stage, using pairwise comparison questionnaires and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) among experts from three governmental organizations, the weights and priorities were determined. Results showed "ensuring security", "living conditions", and "valuing citizens" hold the highest importance. Findings indicate that the successful policy crowdsourcing requires attention to basic needs and creating a sense of security and trust in society. This result also shows the need to focus on infrastructure and macro-level policies to encourage future participation.
Keywords
Analytical Hierarchy Process
Governmental Organization of Hormozgan Province
Meta-Synthesis
Policy Crowdsourcing
Public Participation
Subjects
Iranian Journal of Public Policy

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 May 2026