Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security

Abstract: Multi-stakeholder processes - as a necessary part in the development of public policies - can provide diverse perspectives to inform and to improve food security policy-making. Iran’s National Food Assistance Program (NFAP) is one of the major welfare programs in Iran that reduces food ins...

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Main Authors: Mona Pourghaderi, Nasrin Omidvar, Amirhossein Takian, Arlette Saint Ville, Hannaneh Mohammadi Kangarani, Hassan Eini-Zinab
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz 2022-01-01
Series:Cadernos de Saúde Pública
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2022000105011&tlng=en
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author Mona Pourghaderi
Nasrin Omidvar
Amirhossein Takian
Arlette Saint Ville
Hannaneh Mohammadi Kangarani
Hassan Eini-Zinab
author_facet Mona Pourghaderi
Nasrin Omidvar
Amirhossein Takian
Arlette Saint Ville
Hannaneh Mohammadi Kangarani
Hassan Eini-Zinab
author_sort Mona Pourghaderi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract: Multi-stakeholder processes - as a necessary part in the development of public policies - can provide diverse perspectives to inform and to improve food security policy-making. Iran’s National Food Assistance Program (NFAP) is one of the major welfare programs in Iran that reduces food insecutiry to low-income households. This study aimed to identify and to categorize actual and potential stakeholders in NFAP using the stakeholder salience model. According to Mitchell’s theory, stakeholders’ attributes (power, legitimacy, and urgency) were assessed based on the nature of their interactions, roles, and level of engagement. Results revealed a number of significant but marginalized stakeholders, including Iranian Ministry of Health (office of community nutrition improvement), academia, center for food and nutrition research, target group, charities, and international organizations, who have not received any targeted organizational attention and priority to their claims. The unbalanced attention provided to some stakeholder groups characterized as “definitive” and “dominant” and ignoring some important ones will jeopardize long-term viability and undermine support for the program with inevitable declines in legitimacy. Understanding the change in the stakeholders’ characteristics is the main variable to determine the allocation of organizational resources in response to different and rising stakeholders’ demands and possibly the projects outcomes. This will facilitate and enhance the possibility of knowledge exchange and learning, and greater trust among stakeholders during the food and nutrition policy-making process.
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spelling doaj.art-eb0625f45925443aaaaee9bedcc578c42022-12-21T19:29:45ZengEscola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo CruzCadernos de Saúde Pública1678-44642022-01-0138110.1590/0102-311x00341820Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food securityMona Pourghaderihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3467-2468Nasrin Omidvarhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7305-0461Amirhossein Takianhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7806-5558Arlette Saint Villehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8951-8188Hannaneh Mohammadi Kangaranihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3998-5658Hassan Eini-Zinabhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6895-034XAbstract: Multi-stakeholder processes - as a necessary part in the development of public policies - can provide diverse perspectives to inform and to improve food security policy-making. Iran’s National Food Assistance Program (NFAP) is one of the major welfare programs in Iran that reduces food insecutiry to low-income households. This study aimed to identify and to categorize actual and potential stakeholders in NFAP using the stakeholder salience model. According to Mitchell’s theory, stakeholders’ attributes (power, legitimacy, and urgency) were assessed based on the nature of their interactions, roles, and level of engagement. Results revealed a number of significant but marginalized stakeholders, including Iranian Ministry of Health (office of community nutrition improvement), academia, center for food and nutrition research, target group, charities, and international organizations, who have not received any targeted organizational attention and priority to their claims. The unbalanced attention provided to some stakeholder groups characterized as “definitive” and “dominant” and ignoring some important ones will jeopardize long-term viability and undermine support for the program with inevitable declines in legitimacy. Understanding the change in the stakeholders’ characteristics is the main variable to determine the allocation of organizational resources in response to different and rising stakeholders’ demands and possibly the projects outcomes. This will facilitate and enhance the possibility of knowledge exchange and learning, and greater trust among stakeholders during the food and nutrition policy-making process.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2022000105011&tlng=enStakeholder ParticipationFood Assistance ProgramsPublic Policies
spellingShingle Mona Pourghaderi
Nasrin Omidvar
Amirhossein Takian
Arlette Saint Ville
Hannaneh Mohammadi Kangarani
Hassan Eini-Zinab
Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
Cadernos de Saúde Pública
Stakeholder Participation
Food Assistance Programs
Public Policies
title Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
title_full Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
title_fullStr Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
title_full_unstemmed Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
title_short Who really counts in Iran’s National Food Assistance Program? Lessons from multi-stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
title_sort who really counts in iran s national food assistance program lessons from multi stakeholder processes in the wicked policy area of food security
topic Stakeholder Participation
Food Assistance Programs
Public Policies
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2022000105011&tlng=en
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