Strategic management attitude

Strategic management attitude

Conceptual Model of the Poverty Alleviation Policymaking Process: A Meta-Synthesis of Global Literature and Implications for Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mehdi Norouzi 1
Ali Asghar Pourezzat 2
1 PhD Student in Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, School of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Public policy and administration, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
A review of the literature on poverty alleviation reveals that despite a growing body of research, a coherent framework to systematically understand the interconnected factors shaping the poverty alleviation policymaking process remains largely unformulated. While valuable, existing studies tend to focus on isolated dimensions of the issue—such as social protection instruments, poverty reduction programs, distributive justice, or policy outcome evaluation—frequently overlooking the critical linkages among policy design, institutional capacity, implementation mechanisms, and evaluation frameworks. Consequently, developing an integrated understanding of the constituent components of the poverty alleviation policymaking process has become essential.
This study aims to develop a conceptual model of the poverty alleviation policymaking process through a meta-synthesis of global literature, exploring its analytical implications for Iran’s policy context. To this end, we employed a qualitative meta-synthesis methodology based on the Sandelowski and Barroso framework. Initially, a systematic search across major academic databases identified 290 English-language publications published post-2000. Following a multi-stage screening process to assess thematic relevance and methodological rigor, 42 studies were ultimately selected for in-depth analysis. Data from these selected studies were synthesized using conceptual coding and thematic aggregation.
The findings culminated in a conceptual model comprising 58 basic themes, 18 organizing themes, and 6 global themes. The identified global themes encompass: targeted poverty reduction strategies, stakeholder engagement, institutional capacities and challenges, policy effectiveness evaluation, distributive justice and sustainability, and technological and digital innovation. Our findings indicate that poverty alleviation policymaking is an inherently multidimensional process, demanding simultaneous attention to policy design, institutional capacity, implementation mechanisms, robust evaluation, and overarching considerations of justice and sustainability. While derived from a meta-synthesis of international research, the proposed model is interpreted and discussed within the specific context of Iran’s policy landscape to derive actionable and contextualized implications.
Keywords
Poverty Alleviation Policymaking Process
Meta-Synthesis
Poverty Alleviation Governance
Distributive Justice
Digital Innovation
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 16 February 2026
  • Revise Date 29 April 2026
  • Accept Date 31 May 2026
  • First Publish Date 22 June 2026
  • Publish Date 22 June 2026