Clustering the capacity and development potential of Malekshahi villages based on socio-economic indicators

The concern of rural development and the empowerment of rural communities is one of the most important issues of underdeveloped communities in the world today. Before this, it was believed that these communities can be saved from poverty and backwardness with some interventions and by preparing comprehensive plans and in an orderly manner and provide a sustainable livelihood for the rural residents; But today, it is clear that the inner power and capacity of rural communities is involved more than anything else in the possibility of realizing development and creating a sustainable livelihood. This article tries to classify the capacity and development potential of the villages of Malekshahi city based on socio-economic indicators. The research method is the survey and statistical population of households in the villages of Malekshahi city. The sample size is 580 samples determined by Cochran's formula. The sampling method is matched sampling and random selection of samples. The findings showed that the villages of Malekshahi have a much better situation in terms of social indicators such as cohesion, participation, trust, skill and education compared to economic indicators such as employment, access to credits, income and institutional structures. The results showed that in order to implement the empowerment program and provide sustainable livelihood, in addition to benefiting from the local social and human capital, it is necessary to take advantage of removing obstacles to access to financial credits and putting small and surplus funds into the cycle of rural communities.