The Role of Access Network in Rural Economic Dynamics and Employment Mobility: A Case Study of Asadabad County

Introduction

Rural areas in developing countries currently face numerous challenges, including high unemployment rates, population fluctuations caused by rural-to-urban migration, mismanagement of production resources, low factor productivity, and inadequate economic and social infrastructure (Meng et al., 2022: 2). Many of these challenges stem from insufficient rural access networks, which significantly constrain the dynamism of rural economies and the mobility of employment and business development. Enhancing rural access networks is therefore a key prerequisite for economic revitalization and the facilitation of employment mobility (Pourtaheri et al., 2012: 91; Bigdeli et al., 2022: 60). As a fundamental form of infrastructure, the expansion of efficient access networks plays a crucial role in fostering economic dynamism and employment, particularly in rural areas. Improving rural access infrastructure can enhance access to markets and services, reduce transportation and transaction costs, and increase the diversity of both agricultural and non-agricultural activities (Matsuura Kannari et al., 2024: 1477). In other words, developing rural access networks can boost agricultural production and non-agricultural income, thereby promoting economic vitality and income mobility (Naveed et al., 2017: 1624). Despite these advantages, the adaptation and improvement of rural access networks in Iran—particularly in rural areas such as those of Asadabad County—have received limited attention compared to urban regions and still face numerous deficiencies. Inadequacies in rural access networks have created substantial constraints for local residents across economic, social, and cultural dimensions. These constraints are especially apparent in employment, agricultural and non-agricultural activities, and access to essential services such as education and healthcare. Consequently, restricted mobility of goods and people in rural Iran, and notably in Asadabad County, has hindered opportunities for individual and collectively sustainable development. Given that a large portion of the Asadabad County population resides in rural areas, studying its access networks and improving them can play a decisive role in stimulating economic dynamism and employment mobility—particularly by facilitating the flow of agricultural and non-agricultural products from rural producers to urban markets. Accordingly, this study addresses the following key research question: How does the rural access network influence economic dynamism and employment mobility in the rural areas of Asadabad County?

Methodology

This study is applied in purpose and descriptive–analytical in nature, employing quantitative methods for empirical validation. Both library and field techniques were utilized for data collection. In addition to documentary research, field data were obtained via a researcher designed questionnaire, structured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from very little to very much, to assess household-level perceptions. The statistical population comprised all 99 inhabited villages in Asadabad County. Using random sampling, 30 villages were selected for inclusion in the study. Based on 7,217 households in these villages, and applying the Cochran formula with a 95% confidence level, a 5% margin of error, and variance estimation (s² = 0.25), the sample size was calculated to be 368 households.
 

Findings

The research results show that the reliability coefficients for all indicators exceed 0.70, confirming satisfactory internal consistency in the measurement model. Among the indicators, activity diversification exhibited the highest reliability, while cost reduction had the lowest. Moreover, all factor loadings exceeded 0.40, with most surpassing 0.70, indicating sound item performance and model fit. The effects of network access quality on economic dynamism and employment mobility were 0.186 and 0.411, respectively—both below the 1.96 threshold, implying a statistically insignificant direct effect of the independent variable on these outcomes. Nonetheless, the rural access network exhibited positive effects on income dynamism, cost reduction, employment mobility, and investment attraction. Thus, the improvement of rural access networks constitutes a critical guarantee for advancing economic dynamism and job mobility in the study area. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated significant differences in value chain and access network performance among the studied villages (p < 0.05). This variation reflects differing local capacities and structural conditions influencing rural transport and economic connectivity.
 

Discussion and Conclusion

The findings confirm a positive and significant relationship between rural access-network indicators and economic dynamism. Reliability and validity assessments indicate a robust and internally stable measurement model, with diversification of activities showing the strongest reliability and cost reduction the weakest. Moreover, while the quality and service dimensions of access networks did not directly affect economic dynamism and employment mobility through cost reduction or increased investment, they nonetheless indirectly strengthened income dynamism, mobility of labor, and the capacity to attract investment. These results align with those of Khodapanahi (2020), who emphasized that a strong rural access network significantly enhances the economic vitality of rural areas, and Prus & Sikora (2021), who concluded that rural access infrastructure underpins local economic growth and employment mobility. According to participants, despite recent asphalt surfacing in several areas, existing rural roads lack sufficient quality. Physical and environmental challenges—including steep slopes, poor asphalt conditions, natural and human-induced road damage, narrow widths, mountainous terrain, winter frost, and long distances from major highways—have all diminished the effectiveness of road quality in stimulating economic dynamism and employment mobility. Moreover, deficiencies in transport services—such as a shortage of vans, small trucks, and public vehicles for the movement of goods and passengers—have escalated transport costs and further constrained local economies. Consequently, the full potential of rural transport infrastructure and related services has not yet been realized in the study area. The results clearly indicate that the more developed and higher-quality the rural access infrastructure and services are, the greater the improvements in economic dynamism and employment mobility will be. Investing in road quality, connectivity, and transport services therefore represents a crucial strategy for promoting rural sustainability and equitable development in Asadabad County.