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The relationship between ideas and public policy is of great contemporary interest. Yet due to the dearth of revolutionary countries in the 21st century and the difficulties of political research in such states, studies of the public policy process in the revolutionary state have not been conducted or at least not publicly reported. Iran is a unique case - a developing country; an Islamic state; and a contemporary populist revolutionary regime. This study addresses empirically the impact on selected health care policy and institutions of the development level, religious culture and revolutionary atmosphere. The book also utilises concepts drawn from the study of memetics in order to develop a novel theoretical approach to the study of ideas in public policy. This academic work will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in public policy, public health (in Iran and beyond), Middle Eastern study, revolutionary history, and to policy historians of Iran, and to those who are interested in the evolution of ideas.

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Hamid Bohloli, MD, MPH, MRes, PhD: Studied Public Policy at Manchester University. Senior Lecturer at Tehran University.

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