The Journal of Governance and Policy Development in Higher Education (JGPDHE) pursues the following objectives:
Knowledge Production and Dissemination: To produce and expand specialized knowledge in the domains of university governance, higher education policy, decision-making structures, and organizational reforms within higher education systems, adopting a critical, analytical, and evidence-based approach.
Academic-Policy Forum: To create an academic-policy forum for open and constructive dialogue among researchers, policymakers, university administrators, and higher education stakeholders concerning challenges, opportunities, and transformation strategies in this field.
Policy Analysis and Critique: To analyze and critique macro-level higher education policies at both national and international levels, with emphasis on effectiveness, equity, accountability, and alignment with national strategic documents and the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 4).
Comparative Governance Studies: To examine global models of university governance and adapt them to Iran's cultural, political, and structural context, thereby offering localized solutions to strengthen academic autonomy, transparency, and university efficiency.
Interdisciplinary Research Support: To support interdisciplinary research at the intersection of educational sciences, political science, management, law, sociology, and economics, with a focus on higher education issues and governance.
Evidence-Based Policymaking: To enhance the quality of higher education policymaking by promoting a culture of evidence-based policymaking and disseminating applied and strategic research findings.
Indigenous Theory Development: To develop indigenous theories of higher education governance and policy within the Islamic world and Iran, moving beyond the imitation of Western models while taking into account the identity-based, cultural, and civilizational characteristics of Iranian society.
National and International Collaboration: To collaborate with national and international institutions active in higher education (e.g., the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology; the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution; UNESCO; the International Association of Universities [IAU]; and the European University Association [EUA]) for knowledge exchange and to strengthen the journal's scholarly standing at regional and global levels.
The Journal of Governance and Policy Development in Higher Education (JGPDHE) invites submissions within the following thematic areas:
Models of university governance (participatory, bureaucratic, leadership-driven, board-driven)
The role of academic councils, boards of trustees, and rectors in decision-making
Academic and university autonomy: challenges and solutions
Accountability and transparency in university management
The state-university relationship: balancing oversight and independence
Analysis of national higher education strategic documents
Evidence-based policymaking
Comparative higher education policies across countries
Alignment of higher education policies with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4)
The role of supranational institutions (UNESCO, World Bank, EUA) in shaping higher education policies
Fundamental transformation: opportunities, challenges, and impact assessment
Reorganizing university structures
Mergers, consolidations, or the establishment of new higher education institutions
Reform of faculty recruitment, promotion, and evaluation systems
Reduction of program duration and its policy implications
Characteristics of transformational leadership in universities
Change management and innovation in academic environments
The role of presidents, deans, and senior administrators in policy implementation
University organizational culture and its impact on performance
Educational and gender equity policies in higher education
Higher education for older adults and lifelong learning (integrating higher education and aging studies)
Cultural and intellectual diversity in academic environments
University funding policies (public, private, public-private partnerships)
Economic efficiency and resource optimization in higher education
Cost-benefit analysis of higher education policies
The relationship between higher education and the labor market
Challenges of globalization and the preservation of cultural identity
Higher education policies in digital and post-university spaces
Artificial intelligence, e-learning, and related policy transformations
International university networking and its effects on governance
Analysis of higher education policy successes and failures in Iran
Comparative studies across Islamic, regional, or global contexts
Lessons learned from higher education reforms
