درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- The aim of this study was to investigate the mental image of local residents of tourism destination villages in Karaj city regarding the economic and social effects of tourism and its effect on tourism development tendency. Design/methodology/approach- This research is based on an applied and descriptive-analytical method. Data related to any of the variables have been collected through questionnaires and interviews. The statistical population of the study is the residents of the villages of tourism destination in Karaj city. Out of this, 365 local residents of the villages were selected according to Cochran formula as the sample population. To analyze the research findings, AMOS and SPSS software were used. Findings- The results of this study showed that the mental image of the local residents of the tourism destination villages in Karaj is positive about the economic and social effects of tourism development. Also, the satisfaction of local residents from economic dimensions of tourism with a factor of 0.77 compared to their social mental image with a factor of 0.70 has a greater impact on the local community's desire for tourism development. Research limitations/implications- The difficulty of crossing the mountainous slopes of Chalous Road, the unwillingness of some respondents in the studied villages for individual and social reasons, the lack of sufficient statistics and information about the province of Alborz due to the newly established and non-differentiated statistics from the Tehran province are among the limitations of the research. Practical implications- Neglecting local communities in tourism industry activities is a major bottleneck in participatory planning in order to achieve sustainable development of tourism. In this regard, planners and custodians of tourism in the studied villages should develop sustainable tourism to meet the needs and desires of local residents, while the development of sustainable tourism will be impossible without the participation of local residents and their loyalty toward tourists. In this way, the maximum satisfaction of the local community is realized as an indispensable necessity for the successful development of tourism. Originality/value- In this research, we tried to provide a comprehensive and systemic approach which is a geographical attitude to evaluate the tendency of local residents of target tourism villages of Karaj County about tourism effects. In addition, the effect of this attitude was examined on local community satisfaction using structural equation modeling.

Purpose- The purpose was to measure the social capital of rural settlements in Hassan Abad rural district of Islamabad-e Gharb as well as ranking and leveling the villages under study was based on social capital. Design/methodology/approach- The study was applied, quantitative, and survey, where documentary study and field research were used for data collection. The documentary method was used in problem statement, theoretical foundations, and the literature. The data were collected from the villages using field research and the questionnaire tool. SPSS software was used in statistical analyses. It is worth mentioning that the field operations were done by direct questioning. Findings- The villages examined were categorized into three levels of high, medium, and poor in terms of social capital. Out of 22 villages examined, 9 villages (40.90%) were considered to have high social capital, 5 villages (22.73%) medium, and 8 villages (36.37%) poor social capital. Moreover, Siah Khor Village with 128.44 was in the highest rank whereas Kamar Zard Village with the score of 114.09 was in the lowest rank. Research limitations/implications- In the present study, there were some problems including, scarcity, sometimes the lack of comprehensive information resources, limited access to the resources, scattered villages, the lack of appropriate access routes, low cooperation, and sometimes the lack of cooperation between some organizations and institutions. Practical implications- In sum, one can state that some significant ways to strengthen social capital. They were the presence of local authorities in the villages, holding forum meetings with villagers and presenting performance report to the people, using education and increasing the awareness of villagers about the importance of participation and its role in society, strengthening the norms and values and promoting them. Originality/value- Local planners and institutions associated with the village can use the results.

Purpose- In this study, the second home tourism discourses are represented to identify the subjective perception of urban residents (rural idyll experiences) in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach- Qualitative approach and discourse analysis method was used to extract subjective perceptions of urban residents (rural idyll experiences). Accordingly, 38 semi-structured interviews were purposefully conducted with the owners of the second homes. The present study is carried out in the summer in the recreation surrounding of Sabzevar City known as Tabas area which includes Tabas, Sang Sefid, Razghand, Bazghand, and Divandar villages. Finding - The results showed that the culture of the expansion of second homes is based on rural idyll experiences and the ideal concepts of the rurality which correlates with the common triple discourse in the history of research and empirical studies around the world. The results suggest that the Sabzevar second home landscape is seen as (1) wilderness, (2) life at second homes imitates visions of traditional rural life, and (3) the environment is used for traditional consumptive and leisure activities. Practical implications - Other components of the village's past, such as agricultural production, contentment, and simplicity in construction, social solidarity, and collective actions should be added to the triple discourse, because they present a unique pattern of rural idyll images and should be considered. Originality/value- It is argued that the culture of the expansion of second homes is based on post-productivist and consumerist views in order to have fun and leisure time and enjoy the pristine nature and the calm and healthy environment of the village. The theoretical framework of this research includes the redevelopment of the concept of rurality and the various types of rural idyll experiences associated with it derived from the general literature and empirical studies in the field of tourism on second homes. A three-fold image of the second home countryside can be presented such that the second home landscape is seen as wilderness landscape, traditional way life and second home activities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainable rural quality of life index in Iran during the period of 1991-2016 and to measure the effects of various government investments on this index. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from the Statistics Center, the Central Bank and the World Bank. The value of the quality of life indicator was calculated using the software Eviews during the course of the study. The effect of independent research variables including government investment in agriculture, education, health, and rural development using the ARDL model in Microfit software is estimated. Finding: The results of the model estimation in the short run indicate that every 1 percent increase in government investment in agricultural sectors was 0.55 percent, health and treatment 0.54 percent, education 31.3 percent, increase the quality of life respectively. But investment in rural development does not affect quality of life in the short term but investment in rural life does not affect in the short term. In the long run, every 1% increase in investment in agricultural sectors is 0.65%, health and treatment 0.64%, education 45.0% and 32% in rural development in improving quality of life and its sustainability respectively. Research limitations/implications: Access to statistics is very difficult and has been obtained through reviewing all budget rules for the research courses. Practical implications: Strategy for employment to villagers with the support of public policy, based on qualify for investment, jobs, and services in rural areas contributes to the strengthening of agriculture, the changes in agricultural production and natural resources, the creation of jobs in non-farm income and as a result, the increased demand for local agricultural and non-agricultural products. Originality/value: Considering sustainable factors in evaluating quality of life and the effect of government investment in rural life by the applied method are the advantages of this study that has not been studied in previous studies.

Purpose - Rural production cooperatives (RPCs) play an important role in sustainable development in rural areas by considering three principles: domination, possession, and agency in the agriculture sector. The purposes of this study are to measure the stability of RPCs and presenting effective strategies to achieve it from the managers’ view point. Design/methodology/approach - The present study is a mixed-research method using analytic-descriptive method, including two different questionnaires. One questionnaire aiming at prioritizing and measuring the stability of the RPCs was prepared and presented to the members of RPCs. Stability was measured with 24 indices in three economic, social, and environmental dimensions using Shannon Entropy technique, according which the cooperatives were prioritized. The other questionnaire was prepared to present the best approach to achieve sustainable development from the view point of the managing directors and the board of directors. The best strategy was adopted using SWOT and ANP analysis. Findings - Regarding the sustainable development, the findings of the study indicated that among rural production cooperatives in Isfahan, 12 cooperatives were unstable, 8 cooperatives were semi-stable, and 8 cooperatives were stable; this type of farming system is semi-stable. Developmental strategy (SO) was adopted as the best strategy to achieve sustainability, and the focus was on endogenous development through reinforcing internal strengths to obtain external opportunities. It includes promoting self-reliance through increasing members’ participation in cooperative, empowering the staff and members (i.e. the experienced managing director and the staff with required specialty and expert holding promotional classes), using multilevel, multi-sectorial, multi-cluster, collaborative, and holistic approaches to manage the RPCs, and promoting systems based on collaborative team work. Practical Implications - In rural sustainable development planning, sustainable farming systems must be considered as the focal core of any development plan. Since a big part of farming system in rural areas is devoted to smallholdings, promoting cooperation culture by the rural development planners can prepare the ground for empowering the villagers to obtain sustainable development. Originally/value: For the first time in Iran, the current research attempted to present functional strategies for RPCs development using a mixed-method design.