Evaluation of the socio-economic performance of local management organizations (dehiaris) in order to achieve sustainable rural development (case study: villages of Babolsar city)
Subject Areas : Regional PlanningMohammad Shiekhiyan Azizi 1 , hamid jafari 2 * , katayon alizadeh 3
1 - PhD Student in Geography and Rural Planning, Department of Geography, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
2 - Associate Professor of Department of Geography, Mashhad Branch, Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
3 - Associate Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, Department of Geography, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.
Keywords: Evaluation, sustainable rural development, rural management, Dehyari, Babolsar city,
Abstract :
Nearly two decades have passed since the establishment and operation of village administration organizations in the country. These organizations play a significant role in rural development through village management and are responsible for organizing and guiding the rural community and environment. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the economic and social performance of these entities on achieving sustainable development in the rural areas of Babolsar County. The research is applied in terms of its objective and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, with data collected through field surveys using questionnaires and documentary studies. The statistical population includes 58 villages with village administrations, of which 20% (12 villages with a total of 6,234 households) were selected as the sample. According to Cochran's formula, 362 questionnaires were completed by household heads. Based on the characteristics of the statistical population, a stratified sampling method proportional to size was used, where each village represented a stratum and each household head was considered a sample unit. The results of the Wilcoxon test indicate that the median of the economic index (2.91) is below the desired average (3) and the significance level (0.991) is greater than 0.05, suggesting that the economic impact of village administrations on sustainable rural development is not significant. In contrast, the median of the social index (3.38) is above the average (3) and the significance level of the test is less than 0.05, indicating a positive and significant impact of village administrations in the social domain on sustainable rural development. In other words, the social performance of village administrations is evaluated as more effective than their economic performance.