Evaluating the Effects of Development Programs on Local Communities ‌ (Case Study; Ilam Province Dam Construction Project)

Development projects such as dams have important implications for local communities, which can include new opportunities and improved public services to environmental degradation, poverty and displacement, forced relocation, and resettlement. In the present article, inspired by the theoretical foundations of Escobar's post-development approach, an attempt has been made to study the changes and social, economic and cultural consequences of one of the most important dam construction projects in Ivan city in Ilam province. The method used in this research is qualitative ethnographic method. Data collection tools were open and semi-structured interviews and direct observation. Findings show that the effects of the dam project and resettlement program among the residents of Sartang village have not been homogeneous for different groups within the rural community and the coherent and balanced structure of the rural community has been disrupted by the project and time is a key component in understanding impact assessment. The social and economic project of dam construction has been on the fabric of the local community. The economic and social changes of the project have become more profound over time. Land and urban housing, incompatibility of new living space with rural livelihood pattern, neglect of common interest, destruction of organic neighborhood system and formation of mosaic neighborhood relations, entry of money into society and breaking of social status, dismemberment and formation of sense of homelessness, Monetary shock and the tendency to urban consumption and identity in danger and efforts to recover it have been part of the consequences of the dam development program in the study area.