Journal of Intelligent Strategic Management

Journal of Intelligent Strategic Management

Designing a Smart Public Policy Agenda-Setting Model: A Conceptual Framework and Sequential Exploratory Mixed-Methods Methodological Design

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseininia
Karamollah Daneshfard
Hormat Asghari
Department of Public Administration, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.87453/bumara.2026.372301.4159
Abstract
Purpose: Agenda setting is the first and most consequential stage in the public policy cycle, as it determines which public issues receive the attention of decision-making systems and which remain overlooked. Despite the growing application of artificial intelligence, big data, and digital platforms in policy implementation and evaluation, no systematic model has yet been developed for the intelligent transformation of the agenda-setting stage, particularly within the context of Iran’s policymaking system. This article aims to develop an initial conceptual framework and a rigorous methodological design for constructing a smart public policy agenda-setting model.
Method: This article is derived from a doctoral dissertation and, based on a systematic and critical review of the theoretical literature, formulates a three-layer conceptual framework and subsequently proposes a sequential exploratory mixed-methods research design to test and refine it. The research is grounded in the philosophy of pragmatism. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with selected experts using purposive and snowball sampling until data saturation is reached, and the data will be analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-developed questionnaire derived from the qualitative findings will be administered to a sample of 300 managers and experts from policymaking institutions and validated through confirmatory factor analysis. Subsequently, the relationships among the components will be structured and leveled using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), while the components will be classified according to their driving power and dependence using Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) analysis.
Findings: The theoretical analysis resulted in a three-layer framework: the theoretical foundations layer, comprising the Cairney process model, with the agenda-setting stage elaborated based on the first three steps of PourEzzat’s eight-stage model and the principles of public participation; the intelligent transformation elements layer, comprising big data, artificial intelligence, digital participation platforms, and intelligent monitoring systems; and the contextual layer, encompassing the political-administrative structure, infrastructural constraints, and organizational culture. Furthermore, a comparison of five smart policymaking models indicated that none of them, individually, fully addresses the requirements of an intelligent agenda-setting system.
Conclusion: The proposed framework and methodological design provide a transparent, replicable, and auditable pathway for transforming the fragmented literature on smart policymaking into an indigenous and hierarchical model. They can serve as a foundation for subsequent empirical research and for designing agenda-setting support systems in institutions such as the Parliament and the Plan and Budget Organization.
Keywords
Agenda Setting
Policy Agenda System
Smart Policymaking
Artificial Intelligence
Mixed-Methods Research
Interpretive Structural Modeling
Subjects
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Journal of Intelligent Strategic Management
Volume 5, Issue 4 - Serial Number 16
Winter 2026
Pages 371-394