Large scale rural out-migration has gained momentum over the past four decades in Iran,
contributing to urbanization at unprecedented rates. In the wake of the Islamic
Revolution, it was recognized that in order to reduce reliance on oil revenues and foster
self-sufficiency and social equity, it was essential to ensure the viability of agriculture and
rural settlements. As a part of this new strategy, a rural infrastructure provision policy
(RIPP) was undertaken in order to bring about rural prosperity and to curb out-migration.
Yet, the plight of villagers and out-migration persist.
This dissertation focuses on the village end of the problem, and on permanent outmigration
in post-revolutionary Iran. It investigates the causes of rural out-migration and
their impacts on the remaining rural households. Further, it examines the potential of
RIPP to reduce out-migration and enhance village viability.
In terms of methodology, a cross-analysis was conducted at the levels of individual,
household, and community. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were
employed. Data were collected from primary and secondary sources. While the latter
served analysis needs at the macro-level, the former, which included case studies in five
villages in Hamadan Province, served those at the micro- and meso-levels.
The macro-level analysis reveals population pressure on agricultural resources and rural-urban
disparities as the overriding causes of rural out-migration in Iran. Correspondingly,
the micro- and meso-level analyses: (a) highlight the critical importance of the middle
strata (MS) for the future viability of rural Iran; (b) identify household insecurity, resulting
from precarious and uncertain rural livelihoods as the root cause of out-migration for MS;
and (c) suggest that the ongoing migration of youth from MS must be contained to ensure
the next generation of farmers. Finally, five roles are identified for RIPP to target the
overriding causes as well as those pertaining specifically to MS.
While there is need for policy changes in the macro-economic sphere in Iran, RIPP has the
potential to reduce rural out-migration. More fundamentally, it suggests that it is not
merely the presence of physical infrastructure and its direct role, but rather an effectively
functioning social infrastructure and its intermediary roles that are vital to curbing
excessive out-migration and ensuring village viability.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/8961 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Sarrafi, Mozaffar |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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