Purpose: Public policies represent governments’ responses to public and societal problems and play a fundamental role in shaping the performance of administrative systems and the overall quality of governance. Within the rational public policy cycle, the policy evaluation stage is of particular importance, as it enables systematic judgment regarding the extent to which policy objectives have been achieved, the identification of actual and unintended consequences, and the creation of opportunities for policy learning and improvement. In this context, policies related to the selection of government employees are among the most critical public policies, given their direct impact on the quality of human capital, the effectiveness of public organizations, and public trust in the administrative system. The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of government employee selection policies in the Islamic Republic of Iran, focusing on three main components: examinations, interviews (assessment centers), and selection (screening) procedures. The study seeks to determine whether the policies implemented in this domain have succeeded in achieving policymakers’ intended goals and to identify their strengths and weaknesses across different stages of policy formulation and implementation.
Methodology: This research is applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in nature, and it is grounded in the meta-positivist paradigm. To evaluate government employee selection policies, the study employs the CIPP evaluation model, encompassing four dimensions: Context, Input, Process, and Product. As a comprehensive and systematic framework, the CIPP model allows for the assessment of public policies throughout the entire policy cycle, from problem identification to policy implementation and outcomes. Research data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 experts and specialists in the fields of public policy and human resource management within the public sector. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis, and the results were presented in the form of thematic networks and an integrated analytical framework. One of the key methodological contributions of this study is the conceptual linkage established between the components of the CIPP model and the stages of the public policy cycle, applied specifically to the evaluation of a national public policy. In the final stage, a meta-evaluation was conducted to ensure the quality of the evaluation process, examining it in terms of utility, feasibility, propriety, and accuracy.
Findings: The findings indicate that government employee selection policies have not been successful in fully achieving their intended objectives and face considerable challenges across all four dimensions of the CIPP model. In the context dimension, weaknesses were identified in accurate problem definition, alignment of policies with the actual needs of the administrative system, and clarity in defining required competencies. In the input dimension, major challenges included limited financial resources, shortages of specialized human resources, and inefficiencies in executive tools and infrastructures.
In the process dimension, deficiencies such as the absence of unified standards for examinations and interviews, weak monitoring mechanisms, and the influence of informal and non-institutional factors on policy implementation were observed. Finally, in the product dimension, the results suggest that policy outcomes have not been satisfactory in terms of promoting meritocracy, ensuring administrative justice, and enhancing overall administrative efficiency. These shortcomings have led to undesirable consequences across structural, cultural, instrumental, human resource, and performance-related dimensions of the administrative system.
Conclusion: The results of the study demonstrate that improving government employee selection policies requires a systematic, evidence-based, and policy-learning-oriented approach. The final framework proposed in this research, derived from the CIPP model, can serve as a practical tool for evaluating, revising, and improving public policies, thereby supporting policymakers in enhancing decision-making quality and strengthening administrative system effectiveness.