Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD Student, Department of Sociology, Jahrom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Jahrom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom, Iran (Corresponding Author). Email: Majidrezakarimi@gmail.com
3
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Jahrom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom, Iran
Abstract
Nearly six decades have passed since the establishment of the national development planning system in Iran. One of the objectives implicitly emphasized throughout these decades has been the pursuit of regional balance and spatial equity in development. The present study aims to examine the issue of the development of the Makran coasts, with particular emphasis on social and cultural gaps as the initial consequences of uneven development. This research adopts a qualitative approach and employs grounded theory as its methodological framework. A researcher-designed questionnaire was developed and, after assessing its reliability and validity, was distributed among a statistical sample of 484 individuals selected from a population of 88,761 men and women residing in the Makran region. In the inferential statistics section, reliability was first evaluated using factor loadings, Cronbach’s alpha, and composite reliability. Convergent validity was assessed through the average variance extracted (AVE), while discriminant validity was examined using the Fornell–Larcker criterion. In the qualitative phase, the results of the quantitative analysis were presented to 20 experts, and the findings were subsequently validated by them. The overall model fit was then assessed using the goodness-of-fit index. The results indicate that the factors influencing social and cultural gaps arising from uneven development consist of several sub-components, which were ultimately categorized into five main dimensions, sixteen core themes, and 109 sub-themes.
Keywords
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