Studying the Influential Factors of Social Development in cities (Case study: Tabriz City)

Introduction: The process of social development in Iran has had an uneven trend in recent years, and it can be said that in different cities, depending on influential parameters such as geographical location and ethnic, cultural, political, and social diversity, it has followed various paths. A review of studies conducted in recent years shows that regarding the research area of this study, East Azerbaijan province, and especially the city of Tabriz, comprehensive research that can assess various social dimensions in this province and city has yet to be conducted. Investigations in this area indicate that social development and its multiple indicators in Tabriz have not been examined and evaluated so far. This means it is unclear to what extent this city has achieved social development indicators. Therefore, to fill the existing gap, the present research examines the success of the city of Tabriz in achieving social development goals. Conducting such studies by understanding social development status and showing the trend of changes in this city can facilitate policymaking in the development field. Additionally, understanding the status of social development in Tabriz can determine what actions are needed to strengthen social development and its indicators. The findings of this research can assist managers and planners in Tabriz in formulating development programs. In fact, given the research gap and the lack of related studies measuring the level of social development in the city of Tabriz, this research aims to study the relationship between some factors (cultural capital, psychological capital, anomie, good governance) affecting social development. In this regard, the present study seeks to answer the question of what impact cultural capital, psychological capital, anomie, and good governance have on social development.
Methodology: The research method is descriptive-analytical, and its type is applied. The data collection method is in two forms: documentary and field (questionnaire). Data collection was conducted using a closed questionnaire, with a positive direction and a five-point Likert scale from 1 to 5 (strongly disagree: 1, disagree: 2, neutral: 3, agree: 4, strongly agree: 5). The statistical population of the research consists of all citizens of Tabriz city, totaling 1,593,373 people (Statistical Center of Iran, 2016). The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula, resulting in 384 people, and was distributed using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Expert opinions and professors' feedback (face validity) and convergent construct validity were used to evaluate the validity of the research tool, and Cronbach's alpha method was employed to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. SPSS and AMOS software were used to analyze the collected data, along with Pearson correlation tests and multivariate analysis (structural equation modeling).
Results: The evaluation of respondents regarding the independent and dependent variables of the research shows that the average obtained for the variable of social development is 60.82, cultural capital is 59.38, psychological capital is 15.53, feeling of anomie is 33.54, and good governance is 18.46. This means that the level of good governance is low, the level of social development and cultural capital is moderate, and the level of psychological capital and feeling of anomie is high among the research respondents. The Pearson correlation coefficient has been used to test the relationship between cultural capital, psychological capital, feeling of anomie, and good governance with social development. Data analysis indicates that there is a significant direct correlation between cultural capital, psychological capital, and good governance with social development, given that the significance level obtained is less than 0.05; so with the increase in the level of cultural capital, psychological capital, and good governance, the level of social development of citizens also increases. However, there is a significant inverse correlation between the feeling of anomie and social development, given that the significance level obtained is less than 0.05; this means that with the increase in the feeling of anomie among citizens, their level of social development decreases. Additionally, the empirical test of the research showed that cultural capital significantly impacts social development (0.39). With the increase in the level of cultural capital, the level of social development also increases. Furthermore, psychological capital (0.31) and good governance (0.30) impact social development. However, the impact of anomie on social development is negative (−0.24), and with the increase in the level of anomie, the level of social development decreases.
Discussion: Cultural capital has the greatest impact on the social development of citizens among independent variables. In analyzing this matter, humans, in their role as development agents, play an important and sensitive role in the development process. Since they are thoughtful and autonomous beings, they can only fulfill this role effectively when a culture compatible with development is ingrained in them; otherwise, developmental movement and action will proceed slowly. In this regard, experiences from recent decades of development indicate that desirable movement and certain achievements of social development require the establishment of specific cultural infrastructures, without which achieving development will be a difficult and even impossible task. Psychological capital is another effective factor in the social development of citizens. Psychological capital is a fundamental factor for coping with mental and emotional pressures, increasing hope and striving to improve the standard of living and quality of life, enhancing individuals' psychological well-being, social happiness, trust, and participation. This topic significantly increases the ability to establish social and interpersonal communication. Therefore, increased psychological capital, social development, and individual well-being also increase. Psychological capital is a function of social capital, and the quantity and quality of interactions in social relationships determine social capital. Additionally, individuals' social relationships affect their level of psychological capital. Thus, changes in the quantity and quality of these social relationships can impact an individual's performance. Furthermore, individuals with high psychological capital possess greater group interactions and social participation abilities. Therefore, what connects individuals and leads to the repetition, continuity, and increase of interactions is psychological capital. Whenever individuals have higher psychological capital, these social interactions continue with others and transform into more social relationships, benefiting from a better social life or level of social development. Good governance is another effective factor for social development. Regarding the relationship between good governance and social development, governments can help increase social development and citizens' quality of life by providing security, urban services and facilities, justice and social equality, etc. Governments are trying to make cities more efficient, fairer, safer, and more sustainable for the lives of citizens. Anomie is another independent variable that, with an increase in its level among citizens, leads to decreased social development. In a state of anomie, the ground for social indifference expands due to the lack of a clear pattern and method for altruistic and civic activities and the absence of control over the outcomes of actions in the social sphere. In a state of anomie, individuals cannot make decisions when faced with situations related to altruistic and civic participation. Therefore, in a state of anomie, the individual lacks a clear behavioral pattern because norms are weakened or come into conflict; thus, they become indifferent. Social indifference (the opposite of social development) means a lack of interest in engaging in any behavior or action, withdrawing, and not participating in social issues. Due to a lack of mental and objective connection with society, social indifference is when individuals avoid social participation, social responsibilities, altruistic activities, and active civic engagement in social issues with disinterest and disregard for surrounding realities. Therefore, social participation, altruism, commitment, and responsibility oppose social indifference. In the absence of these in society, individuals face many problems, such as a lack of social development.
Conclusion: Considering the correlation between cultural capital and social development, which indicates that achieving development in society cannot occur without attention to the concept of culture and its reinforcement in society, efforts to strengthen the cultural capital of the people by providing educational opportunities, offering facilities to various age groups, holding workshops and theaters, and multiple performances in public spaces to attract more individuals can accompany citizens on this path. Additionally, given the relationship and impact of the feeling of anomie on social development, the widespread promotion of normativity in society and involving individuals, officials, and rulers with the laws and regulations governing society, which is considered one of the principles of development, can have a significant impact on achieving this matter in society. The emergence of violent behaviors, high levels of conflict, and disputes in the city over everyday issues such as traffic accidents, etc., indicates the manifestation of anomie in the city. Therefore, it is suggested that to raise the tolerance threshold of the people and prevent the emergence of violent behaviors in the city, various actions such as preparing and developing educational programs on radio and television, producing behavior management clips by specialized consultants familiar with the behavioral patterns of citizens should be undertaken. Furthermore, considering the correlation between good governance and social development, it can be said that increasing the level of transparency in the performance of officials, accountability for actions taken or not taken in various sectors, adherence to justice and equality in the implementation of laws, the efficiency of officials, the rule of law, and equal application of the law for all members of society without considering specific conditions, and ultimately providing the necessary services to the people can facilitate the occurrence of development in society. This matter requires serious attention from officials to the needs of society, providing services commensurate with their needs, moving by the law, and acting based on legal requirements.