درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- Initial and preliminary review of distribution of rural settlements of Qazvin province indicates a special pattern in this province (the densely populated villages in some areas of the province and being devoid of population in some other villages) which has been changed during different census periods and it raises the following questions: what factors have created such a pattern? Do ecological factors play a role in the formation of this pattern? Hence, the purpose of the present study is to answer these questions.Design/methodology/approach- The present study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. First, the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic was used to review the spatial pattern of rural residents' network in Qazvin province, then k'luster analysis method through edge removal (SKATER) was used for grouping rural areas based on ecological conditions, and finally using the obtained results, the correlation coefficients between the ecological factors and the spatial distribution of the population in the obtained ecological groups were calculated. Findings- examining the spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements of Qazvin province according to Getis-Ord statistic indicates a cluster pattern of population spatial distribution in rural areas of Qazvin province. This pattern has high density in some areas and low density in other areas. The central parts of the province which include the Qazvin plain, have hot spots, and the northern areas of the province which include the mountainous areas, have cold spots. Based on the ecological grouping of villages through SKATER method and calculated correlation coefficients, the highest impact belonged to the grouping related to access to underground waters (existence of aquifer) and the next ranks belong to the distance from the river and slope. This shows the high impact of ecological variables on the distribution of rural population of the province during different periods.

In the present study, the impact of U.S. foreign policy strategies on Iran's regional power and influence is investigated. The main question is how U.S. foreign policy strategies on the Middle East and Iran during George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump's presidencies affected Iran's regional power and influence. The hypothesis is that various principles and strategies of U.S. foreign policy during Bush, Obama and Trump administrations have led to the greater regional power and influence of Iran. In order to test this hypothesis, after investigating the historical context and selecting a conceptual framework, the impact of U.S. foreign policy on Iran's regional power and influence has been studied. Next, the impact of the U.S. foreign policy strategy on Iran’s regional power and influence, such as aims, interests, behaviors, actions, costs, achievements, effects, and implications are analyzed.

Purpose- Rural elites, as the most important human capitals of rural communities, are a distinct and progressive stratum in various dimensions of development, and their persistence in villages can be effective in accelerating the process of rural development. Nonetheless, studies show that due to various reasons, elites are less persistent in villages and often migrate to cities. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the causes of elites' migration and how to attract the elites’ participation in the process of rural development in Kurdistan province.Design/Method/Approach- This study was conducted in the framework of interpretative-constructive paradigm and the research method is thematic analysis. In-depth individual semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data.Findings- The results showed two overarching themes namely rural repulsion (including six organizing themes: family and social determinism, weak infrastructure, geographical isolation, environmental challenges, weak economic conditions and weak local and regional management) and urban attraction (including four organizing themes: personal improvement, economic opportunities, social opportunities, and the use of infrastructures and facilities) are the most important causes of rural elites’ migration. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the elites’ participation in rural development could be possible through three overarching themes namely empowering villagers (including four organizing themes: capacity assessment, skill training, strengthening vitality, raising the level of villagers' demands), developing employment and entrepreneurship (including two organizing themes: promoting innovation and economic investment) and efficient rural management (including two organizing themes: managing social challenges and occupying managerial positions).Originality/value- The rural elites’ migration is accompanied by many negative consequences for rural communities. Nevertheless, there is a gap in studies regarding its causes and especially how to attract their participation in the process of rural development. The present study can be a basis for future researches in this field.