نقش‌آفرینی شبکه دسترسی در پویایی اقتصادی و تحرک اشتغال روستایی (مورد مطالعه: شهرستان اسدآباد)

1.Introduction
Rural areas in developing countries are currently grappling with a multitude of challenges, including high unemployment rates, population fluctuations due to rural-to-urban migration, mismanagement of production resources, low levels of factor productivity, and inadequate infrastructure in both economic and social dimensions (Meng et al., 2022: 2). A significant portion of these shortcomings can be attributed to the absence of adequate rural access networks, which pose significant challenges to the dynamism of the rural economy and the mobilization of employment and business development. Therefore, the improvement of rural access networks is a valuable prerequisite for economic dynamism and rural employment mobility (Pourtaheri et al., 2012 : 91; Bigdeli et al., 2022: 60).
The expansion of efficient access networks, as a fundamental infrastructure, plays a vital role in economic dynamism and employment, especially in rural areas. Improving rural access infrastructure can enhance market and service accessibility, reduce costs, and increase the diversity of agricultural and non-agricultural activities (Matsuura‐Kannari et al., 2024: 1477). In other words, improving rural access networks can increase agricultural production and non-agricultural incomes, leading to economic dynamism and income mobility (Naveed et al., 2017: 1624).
Although rural access networks can significantly contribute to the economic dynamism and employment mobility of rural areas, the adaptation of these networks in rural Iran, including the study area, has received less attention compared to urban areas and faces numerous shortcomings. Deficiencies in the access network in rural areas of Asadabad County have created significant constraints for rural residents in economic, social, and cultural terms. These constraints are particularly evident in employment, agricultural and non-agricultural activities, access to education, health, and other services, limiting people's choices and reducing opportunities for individual and group development. Consequently, rural access networks and the movement of goods and people in rural areas of the country, especially Asadabad County, face significant challenges in terms of accessibility and mobility. Therefore, examining this issue to reduce the gap between what should be and what is currently observed in the rural areas of Asadabad County is of fundamental importance. Since a large portion of the Asadabad County population resides in rural areas, investigating the rural access network and its improvement can stimulate economic dynamism and job mobility within the framework of the movement of agricultural and non-agricultural goods and products from rural to urban consumer markets. Consequently, the present study, with an emphasis on the aforementioned aspects, seeks to answer the following fundamental question:
 -How does the rural access network impact economic dynamism and job mobility in Asadabad County's rural areas?
 

Methodology

The present study is applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive-analytical and quantitative in terms of its nature and research method. Library and field methods have been used to collect data and information. In addition to the library method, the field method of the researcher-made questionnaire was used to answer the most important research question at the level of rural households and on the Likert scale, in five ranges: very little, little, medium, much and very much. The statistical population of the study is 99 villages inhabited by Asadabad County, from which 30 villages were randomly selected. The sample size for filling out the questionnaire was determined based on the number of 7217 households in 30 villages in the random sample and based on the Cochran formula and using a confidence level of 95% and a desired probability accuracy of 5% and a variance estimate (s^2=0.25), the sample size for 368 households was obtained.
 

Findings

The research findings showed that the reliability of all indicators is greater than 0.70, which indicates a suitable internal consistency for the measurement model. Among them, the diversity of activities had the highest and cost reduction had the lowest reliability. In addition, the factor loadings of all variables were above 0.40, and most of the variables were even above 0.70, indicating good item processing and model fit. Accordingly, the effect of network access quality on economic dynamism and employment mobility was 0.186 and 0.411, respectively, which is less than 1.96, indicating no effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. However, the rural access network had a positive effect on income dynamics, cost reduction, employment mobility, and investment attraction; therefore, improving rural access networks was a guarantee for economic dynamism and employment mobility in the study area.
 

Discussion and Conclusion

The research findings indicated a positive and significant relationship between rural access network indicators and economic dynamism. Based on the findings, the measurement of the effective and affected research indicators indicated appropriate internal stability for the measurement model. Among them, diversifying activities had the highest and reducing costs had the lowest reliability. This indicates good processing of the questions and the model. In this study, the quality and services of the access network did not have an impact on economic dynamics and employment mobility through cost reduction and increased investment. Furthermore, the research results indicated that the rural access network has had a positive impact on income dynamism, cost reduction, employment mobility, and investment attraction. Therefore, improving the rural access network guarantees economic dynamism and employment mobility in the study area. This finding is consistent with the research of Khodapanahi (2020), which found that an adequate rural access network can play the most significant role in the economic dynamism of rural areas. In addition, it is consistent with the findings of Prus & Sikora (2021), who concluded that the rural access network is a factor in the growth and economic dynamism of the study area and that economic development and employment mobility depend on the rural access network.
According to respondents, in the rural areas studied, despite the asphalting of the roads, they lack the necessary quality. Steep slopes, poor asphalt, road damage due to natural and human factors, narrow road width, mountainous terrain, frost in winter, and the distance of villages from main roads and the highway network, as well as the lack of asphalting of roads in some villages in the study area, have challenged the impact of the quality of the rural access network on economic dynamics and employment mobility. Also, rural access network services such as goods and passenger transportation due to the lack of quality facilities and amenities, the lack of vans and light trucks and public transportation vehicles for transporting goods and passengers and the movement of agricultural and non-agricultural products, and the increase in the costs of transporting goods and passengers have faced challenges in economic dynamics. Therefore, in the study area, the full potential of services and quality of access network for employment dynamism and mobility has not been utilized. Based on these findings, the more developed the infrastructure, quality, and services of the rural access network are, the better the progress in economic dynamism and employment mobility indicators will be.