Qualitative Study of Professionals’ Perspectives about Internet Public Policy in Iran

The purpose of current study is to explore the views and experiences of state experts in the field of internet public policy about the current and favorable status of internet policymaking in Iran. The study employed a qualitative methodology using 21 purposive semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used by MAXQDA 10 software to identify the similarities and differences across the data. The total number of initial codes were 952. Based on the 7 research questions, 26 themes were identified. The main framework of this study to answer the research questions is developed by intersecting three dimensions of policymaking, i.e. entities, process, and issues. The results consisting of all states, roles, and relationships among these dimensions are reported based on the professionals’ responses. Findings of this study can be considered as a roadmap for policymakers and scholars in the field of internet public policy analysis and study. Global internet policymakers can also use these results as a good case for investigating the internet policy position in developing countries.

Cyberspace; Public policy; Internet policy; Qualitative study; Iran.