Mixing Policy Tools in Science and Technology: A Systematic Review

Journal of Social Research & Policy, Volume: 9, Issue: 2, pp. 31-41

Date: December 2018

ISSN: 2067-2640 (print), 2068-9861 (electronic)

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of articles in the domain of combining policy tools within science, technology, and innovation. In this study, nine main databases using keywords in the field of policy mix and its tools were examined in which the scientific database of ScienceDirect had the highest number of articles; however, the results suggested that policy mix was an excluded domain among research studies into science and technology policy. Moreover, the characteristics of mixing policy tools were not clear enough, they were not reported in the related literature, and also there was no definite category of policy tools in the domain of research and development in order to combine the existing tools. In this respect, the important point was that financial instruments had been emphasized as significant tools in most studies despite their multiplicity perhaps on account of the early returns of such tools, while the depth and long-term outcomes of policies in policy domain could be found through other ways such as procedural nonfinancial tools. It should be noted that the most important contribution of this study was identifying research gaps and offering suggestions for future investigations.

Keywords: Science and Technology Policy; Policy Mix; Policy Tools; Systematic Review.