Macro policies

Using appropriate policies to overcome food insecurity is one of the pillars of economic prosperity of countries. Economic decisions that change macroeconomic parameters can directly or indirectly affect food production and prices and affect food security. Therefore, achieving a clear understanding of how macroeconomic policies affect different dimensions of food security in the country can lead to providing solutions to improve the food security index. In this study, a framework of simultaneous equations is presented in order to investigate the relationship between monetary and financial policies with food production and prices in the country. In this regard, using the method of generalized moments, behavioral equations were estimated separately using the data of 1978-2018. The model was then implemented as a system of equations using the Gauss Seidel method. Different scenarios were simulated in this model to investigate the effects of changes in interest rates, money volume, and general government investment on various aspects of food security. The results indicated that government investment in the agriculture sector and public investment expenditures have a positive impact on food production through capital stock. Additionally, changes in interest rates have minimal effects on food production but significant negative effects on food prices. Overall, monetary policy decisions result in increased food prices alongside decreased food production due to the demand for money and private investment. Therefore, the implementation of these policies should be done more carefully in order to encourage farmers to increase production and therefore ensure food security for consumers.

Regional management and spatial planning of higher education in Iran is one of the important policy issues in the field of science, technology, and innovation. In February 2016, the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution approved the country's spatial planning of higher education. Article 1 and 2 of this document directly refers to the regional management of higher education. In line with the implementation of the document, in October 2020, the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology approved the bylaw "Implementation of the National Spatial Planning of Higher Education - Provincial Management of Higher Education Institutions in the MSRT". In this research, by using the case study strategy, an attempt has been made to provide a policy analysis of the implementation of spatial planning of higher education documents, which led to the approval of the provincial management regulations of higher education institutions. The data used in this research are available documents, evidence, statistics, events, and narratives of 14 experts and policymakers. Based on the results of this research, the process of drafting documents, the commitment and expertise of the implementers of the document, and the integration of operational experiences and policy-making research during the implementation period have an important effect on the correct and faster implementation of national documents and macro policies related to them.