https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/ Emerging Technologies and Governance en daily 1 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/article_210703.html This study aims to design a localized model for cultural data governance in Iran, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities faced by cultural institutions in the era of big data. Employing a qualitative approach and grounded theory methodology, the research involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 22 experts, policymakers, and senior managers from key cultural institutions in Iran. Data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding, resulting in a paradigmatic model comprising 6 main categories, 18 axial codes, and 72 open codes. Causal conditions—such as data accumulation and fragmentation, the need for evidence-based policymaking, and pressures from emerging technologies—lead to the central phenomenon of "cultural data governance." This phenomenon is embedded within Iran's institutional-structural features, technological infrastructure, and socio-cultural context, while legal, economic, and political-security factors act as intervening conditions. Extracted strategies operate at three levels: institutional-structural, technical-infrastructural, and empowerment, yielding consequences in policy-managerial, socio-cultural, and economic-technological dimensions. Findings indicate that cultural data governance in Iran is a multidimensional phenomenon. Developing a localized model requires simultaneous attention to technical, legal, institutional, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions, with special emphasis on preserving cultural diversity and strengthening national identity. This model can serve as a foundation for policymaking and decision-making in Iran's cultural institutions. https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/article_210532.html The emergence of blockchain technology has transformed the way transactions are conducted and has reshaped the scale and operational domains of organizations. One of the key areas influenced by this transformation is the supply chain. For data-driven industries such as the oil industry, blockchain as a core enabler of supply chain digitalization can provide substantial benefits. However, the implementation of blockchain in the oil industry’s supply chain, which operates within a governance‐intensive and highly regulated structure, faces numerous obstacles and challenges. This study aims to identify and rank the barriers to blockchain adoption in the oil supply chain, considering technical, organizational, environmental, and particularly supply chain governance dimensions. After reviewing the theoretical literature, the barriers were identified and their relative importance was evaluated using the Bayesian Best–Worst Method (Bayesian BWM) in a case study of the National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Company. The findings indicate that the lack of necessary policies and regulations, cybersecurity threats, traceability concerns, and scalability and weak consensus protocols are the most critical barriers to blockchain adoption. These results highlight the pivotal role of governance and regulatory mechanisms in determining the success or failure of blockchain implementation. Based on the findings, managerial, operational, and governance-oriented recommendations are proposed. https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/article_210702.html The emergence of cyberspace as a new biosphere has revealed the inefficiency of conventional governance models in facing the moral and semantic crises of this space. The present study, with the aim of formulating a model of educational governance based on the thought of the Imams of the Islamic Revolution, has used a combined method of content analysis to extract the foundations and practical analogy to design the model. The research findings show that by going beyond the duality of instrumentalism and essentialism the theory of educational contextualism should be accepted as an autonomous paradigm. Accordingly, cyberspace has a fluid nature, whose orientation is subject to the atmosphere of Wilayah Guardianship that governs it. The final achievement of this research is to present a three-level governance model fundamentals, principles, and mechanisms in which the Islamic state, by moving from the passive position of regulator is placed in the active position of contextual architect. The operational strategy of this model is to transition from the traditional paradigm of user advice” to virtue architecture in the technical layer; in such a way that, by utilizing value-sensitive design and virtue-based algorithms choosing good becomes easier for the user and choosing evil becomes costly for the user https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/article_210700.html The rapid evolution and structural uncertainty of science, technology, and innovation (STI) systems challenge conventional policy paradigms rooted in linear causality and deterministic steering. In response, this study develops a Quantum-Inspired STI (Q-STI) governance framework that reconceptualizes policy intervention as a probabilistic and observer-dependent process. Drawing on analogy-based theory building and formal conceptual mapping from quantum mechanics, the framework models innovation trajectories as superposed potentialities that remain probabilistic until policy instruments—such as funding, regulation, or mission-oriented programs—act as measurement operators that reshape and collapse the innovation field. Stakeholders (government, industry, academia, and society) are conceptualized as entangled subsystems whose interdependencies generate systemic feedback effects. The model further introduces a policy uncertainty principle expressing the trade-off between control precision and adaptive flexibility. Methodologically, the study adopts a structured conceptual modeling approach grounded in systems theory and formal metaphorical translation, and it outlines pathways for empirical operationalization using measurable policy and network indicators. An illustrative application to mission-oriented energy transition policy demonstrates the explanatory relevance of the framework. By embedding probabilistic reasoning and observer effects within innovation governance theory, the Q-STI model expands the analytical toolkit for managing complexity, uncertainty, and systemic interdependence in contemporary STI policy. https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/article_210701.html The Fourth Industrial Revolution has established Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a critical determinant of national competitiveness, necessitating a transition from linear innovation models toward dynamic Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). This study investigates the AI ecosystem in Iran from 2015 to 2025, revealing a systemic evolution from a "laissez-faire" approach toward a "developmental state" model. Method: Employing a qualitative descriptive-survey methodology, 20 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders were analyzed to elucidate the structural coupling between four governance functions—policymaking, regulation, facilitation, and service provision—and TIS dynamics. Results: The findings indicate that while effective policymaking and regulation have fostered maturity in knowledge development and legitimation, the ecosystem faces a critical bottleneck in resource mobilization, particularly regarding hardware infrastructure and human capital. Currently, the system relies heavily on the state’s service provision function to compensate for market failures and international sanctions, highlighting the inherent fragility of the private sector. Conclusion: Consequently, this paper argues that governance must shift from a "direct provider" to a "financial facilitator" to ensure systemic sustainability. The research concludes by proposing strategic solutions, including leveraging technological diplomacy through alliances like BRICS to mitigate hardware constraints, establishing regulatory sandboxes for agile experimentation, and creating regulated data markets to stimulate private demand. By bridging the theoretical gap between governance and innovation systems, this study provides a localized framework that offers generalized insights for other emerging economies seeking to balance technological sovereignty with the structural and geopolitical constraints of the Global South. https://etg.ihu.ac.ir/article_210699.html Commercial soft technology comprises intangible human-centered processes that improve firms’ operational effectiveness and amplify the value of technological assets. This study develops and validates a measurement model for assessing the level of commercial soft technology in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using a sequential mixed-methods instrument-development design. In the qualitative phase, thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 25 SME experts and park managers produced 185 codes, which were organized into 78 basic themes, 25 organizing themes, and five global themes. These findings informed a SCAPE-based measurement model consisting of five components (technology mechanism, human technology, information technology, technology supply, and technology transfer) and 28 subcomponents. The model was implemented and piloted in a technology unit within the Persian Gulf Science and Technology Park; process-level scores were standardized and aggregated, and component weights were derived via AHP to compute a composite Commercial Soft Technology Measurement Coefficient (CSTMC = 0.691 for the pilot unit). To ensure methodological rigor, qualitative findings were externally audited and member-checked, and reliability was assessed via test–retest yielding Pearson’s r = 0.69. Qualitative coding was conducted using qualitative data-analysis software, and quantitative procedures (AHP weighting, normalization, reliability testing) were implemented with standard statistical/AHP software. Results indicate a mid-to-high integration of commercial soft technologies in the pilot firm, with relative strengths in technology supply and transfer and gaps in information and human components—findings that have clear implications for SME managers and policy makers in science parks.