فصلنامه روستا و توسعه
سال هفدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 65، بهار 1393)

How to distribute the income resulted from growth is a crucial factor in social welfare improvement and poverty reduction. Thus, this study aims at the examination of Kuznets hypothesis on income distribution in rural areas of Iran during the period of 1971-2007. For this purpose, linear and non-linear models of Ahluwalia are used. Impacts of the Iran-Iraq war and the Islamic Revolution of Iran are examined, though eliminated afterward due to the insignificant results in the model. The study results do not support the hypothesis in Iranian rural areas. Also, according to the findings, the economic growth has no impact on the improvement of income distribution in rural areas and even made it worse. In contrast with overall growth, the agricultural growth has shown a significantly positive effect on the improvement of income distribution in Iranian rural areas.

This descriptive-correlation study aims at investigating and analyzing the participation of Islamic Councils in rural management in Kashmar County. The statistical society consists of 102 members of the councils in central district of the county; and among them, 67 members are selected in a simple random sampling as the sample (n=67) for data collection. The results of correlation analysis show a statistically significant and positive relationship between the independent variables of attitude toward impact of education and extension programs, participation in educational courses, technical knowledge and awareness of factors affecting the destruction of natural resources, communication with the outside rural world and the rural people and the dependent variable of the participation of council members in rural management, while the distance of village from the county center has a significantly negative relation with the participation of council members. The results of stepwise multiple regressions analysis indicate that the variables of the technical knowledge and awareness of factors affecting the destruction of natural resources, the attitude toward impact of education and extension programs, and communication with the outside rural world and rural people explain some 55 percent of the variance of "the participation of council members in rural management".

Women empowerment is a dynamic process that helps them to gain further access to resources and control over their lives and therefore causes a stronger sense of independence and self esteem. This study aims at investigating the factors affecting the economic empowerment of rural women. It is an applied research with a survey methodology in which 260 rural women in Isfahan County are selected through random sampling. The data are analyzed in a factor analysis method. The study results show that the most important factors affecting the empowerment of rural women are cooperation in economic activities, family ties, and social awareness which explain some 55.80 percent of cumulative variance; and the most important obstacles are psychological-personal components concerning cooperation in economic activities as well as physical-communication and cultural-organization components which explain some 51.60 percent of cumulative variance.

This study aims at investigating the factors affecting the motivation of activity in cooperatives, in a descriptive correlational method, to help resolve the problems in cooperatives. The statistical sample includes 72 managers of agricultural production cooperatives in Tehran province. Data collection is based on a valid and reliable questionnaire. As shown by the descriptive information obtained, only 43 percent of the cooperative's managers have strong motivation for activity in this sector. In addition, according to the results of regression analysis, three variables including social characteristics, frequency of applying educational and extensional activities and entrepreneurial aspects account for 49 percent of the variance of such motivation. Accordingly, it is suggested that authorities of these cooperatives pave the ground for their further success through holding some entrepreneurship courses as well as expanding cooperative extension and education services, particularly in public places like Basij (Mobilization Unit), mosques, sports places, cultural centers, and charity houses.

This study includes the regional model design of spatial-location linkages resulted from population flows, activities and businesses in Firouzkooh county, and also provides a suggested regional model fitting and the suggested model's output. The data were gathered from 25 sample villages and 436 operational sample households in 2009. The research methodology is an exploring and descriptive-analytical one using mathematical and statistical models and probabilities theory. Based on the study results, in addition to four absolute, directive, weight and compositional models, a fifth model titled 'regional model' was posed which is a theoretical-comparative model consisting of the 12 forms of spatial-location linkages designed in both intra-regional and inter-regional levels. Regional model fitting shows that all the sample villages have urban and rural linkages; and having more than one type of spatial-location resulted from population flows, they depend on compositional model.

This study aims at investigating views of range cooperative members about the certain measures related to the range programs in Golestan province of Iran. For This purpose, it makes use of a correlative analysis as well as a step by step regression. This is an applied research in a descriptive-correlative method and its studied population includes 190 pasture cooperative members of the province. Multi-variable regression results show that a number of variables including the members’ satisfaction of the cooperative performance, contact of the cooperative with the Natural Resources Department, management qualifications of the cooperative managers, and holding educational courses are positively effective on the extent of these pasture cooperatives’ success in protection and restoring of the pastures. In addition, according to the results from the correlative coefficient of variables, the variables of the members’ educational level, duration of their membership, connection of the cooperative with the other pasture cooperatives, holding educational courses, the members’ satisfaction of the cooperative performance, management qualifications of the cooperative managers, and contact of the cooperative with the Natural Resources Department have significantly positive relations with the success in protecting and restoring the pastures.

This study aims at classifying the effects of rural land documentation in Lorestan province of Iran. The statistical society includes 40936 landholders who received their land documents until 2007. The project had started as 71st article of law in the Second Five Year Development Plan and it has been continued according to 133rd article of law on the Forth Five Year Development Plan of Iran. A sample of 169 landholders was selected in a multi-level stratified random sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect required data. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined by Cronbach’s Alpha which was between 0.70 and 0.99. For data analysis, SPSS software was used and 27 variables were classified in eight factors which explained 76.86 percent of variances. These factors are determining boundaries, application of document, social interaction, credits, stock exchange, staying in countryside, physical development, and land disputes.

This study aims at analyzing the need to sustainable agricultural development policies as well as extracting and presenting the priorities of these policies in Hamedan province of Iran. The statistical society includes all the academic scholars, researchers and experts of headquarter departments, those who work in the organizations associated with the agricultural development in the province. The required data are gathered through a questionnaire. According to the results from descriptive analysis, in economic aspect, “adoption of serious measures to improve productivity of production factors” by a variation coefficient of 0.174, in environmental aspect, “comprehensive and integrated management of soil nutrients and production base resources including water, soil, pasture and forest” by a variation coefficient of 0.152, and in social aspect, “expansion and orientation of extension activities towards enhancing farmers’ knowledge and information about operations of sustainable agriculture” are found to be the first priority in policies. In addition, as shown by the results from inferential analysis, most of the respondents have almost the same views within policy options. According to the results of factor analysis, the need to the policies with components consisting of the four factors including environmental, socio-institutional, productive-economic, and protective-supportive policies are explained by some 60.4 percent.