Revisiting Organizational Learning Capacity in the Public Policy Cycle: A Systematic Literature Review with an Adaptive Governance Approach and the Proposal of a Co‑evolutionary Model

The aim of this study is to revisit the role and position of organizational learning capacity within the public policy cycle, with an emphasis on the adaptive governance perspective. The increasing complexity of public issues and the rapid pace of environmental changes have led contemporary governance theories to highlight the necessity of organizations that are learning‑oriented, flexible, and reflexive. Despite this emphasis, the theoretical link between organizational learning and the stages of the policy cycle remains fragmented, ambiguous, and insufficiently integrated.Using a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA protocol, ۸۲ high‑quality international and national sources were analyzed. The review identifies three dominant learning patterns in public policy: reflexive learning, adaptive learning, and transformative learning. A co‑evolutionary model is then proposed, illustrating how learning capacity enhances the quality of problem identification, policy formulation, implementation, evaluation, and revision. The findings indicate that public organizations succeed in policymaking when learning mechanisms are institutionalized as the “driving engine of the policy cycle” within governance structures.

کلیدواژه ها:

Organizational learning capacity ، Public policy ، Policy cycle ، Adaptive governance ، Systematic literature review.