A Sociological Analysis of Household Economic Development and Its Impact on Social Participation in Crises and Natural Disasters in Tehran
Keywords:
Household economic development, social participation, social capital, structural challenges, crisis management, TehranAbstract
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of household economic development (objective and subjective dimensions) on social participation in crisis situations, with emphasis on the mediating roles of social capital and structural challenges in Tehran. This study employed a quantitative, descriptive-survey design with a correlational approach. The statistical population consisted of individuals aged over 18 living in the 22 districts of Tehran, from which a sample of 384 participants was selected using Cochran’s formula and multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected through a researcher-developed questionnaire measuring household economic development (objective and subjective), social capital, structural challenges, and social participation across different crisis phases. Content validity was confirmed using CVR and reliability was verified through Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression in SPSS version 26. The results indicated that both objective and subjective dimensions of household economic development had a positive and significant effect on social participation, although with limited explanatory power. In contrast, social capital and structural challenges demonstrated stronger and more significant effects on social participation. These variables also significantly influenced economic development, particularly in the subjective dimension, which showed the highest explanatory power. Participation levels were highest during the crisis response phase compared to other stages. The findings suggest that social participation in crises is a multidimensional phenomenon influenced not only by economic development but also strongly by social capital and structural conditions, and strengthening these factors can enhance community resilience.
Downloads
References
Ahmadi, T. (2020). Identifying and analyzing the role of social capital elements on citizen participation in the maintenance of the historical fabric of Tabriz Bazaar. Papers of the 7th National Conference on Modern Studies and Research in the Field of Geography, Architecture and Urbanism of Iran, Tehran.
Amouzad Khalili, S., Rashidi, A., & Pirdashti, H. (2018). Investigating the role of public participation in improving the performance of urban space crisis management and the factors affecting it from the perspective of Rogers' social participation theory in Behshahr. Disaster Prevention and Management Knowledge, 8(3), 255-268.
Azamazadeh, M., & Moshtaghian, M. (2016). Barriers to women's participation in the social development process. Social Problems of Iran, 7(1), 31-55.
Barghamadi, H., & Abdollahi, A. (2019). Fuzzy analysis of social participation of Tehran citizens. Iranian Social Development Studies, 12(1), 69-87.
Darban Astaneh, A. R., Bazgir, S., & Sheikhzadeh, M. (2017). Spatial analysis of households' social vulnerability to earthquakes (Case study: District 6 of Tehran). Human Geography Research, 49(2), 465-484.
Doan, U. T. T. (2025). Digital Transformation Influencing Civil Administrative Services at Grassroots Governance and Social Development. The Law and Development Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/ldr-2025-0009
Elmi, M. (2020). Participation and development: Some individual social factors related to the participation of Tabriz citizens. Iranian Social Development Studies, 12(3), 93-102.
Faraji, S. J., Khabazi Chaleshtari, M., & Ahmadi, S. (2020). The role of citizen participation in promoting security and social development (Case study: Herat city). Urban Social Geography, 7(1), 97-124.
Fazeli, M., Fattahi, S., & Zanjan Rafiei, S. N. (2013). Social development, indicators and Iran's position in the world. socio-cultural Development Studies, 2(1), 159-182.
Gholami, T., & Firouzjah, J. A. (2019). Investigating the relationship between the components of participation in the local community and working interactions of social capital with the innovative behavior of active sports tourism destinations in Bushehr province. Papers of the 3rd National Congress of Achievements in Sports Sciences and Health, Rasht.
Harris, S., & White, J. (2017). Community development and social participation: Evidence from comparative studies. International Journal of Community Development, 22(3), 201-215.
Hossain, M. (2020). Social inclusion and participation in developing countries: A case study of South Asia. Development Studies Quarterly, 12(5), 32-47.
Jones, L. (2018). The role of social development in enhancing civic engagement. Civic Participation Quarterly, 15(4), 98-112.
Juhaidi, A., Fitria, A., Hidayati, N., & Fadillah, R. (2024). First-Generation Scholar in Indonesian Indigenous Family Tribe: Economic, Social, and Cultural Capital. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (Ijere), 13(3), 1545. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i3.27448
Karimi, J., Abbasi, H., & Eidi, H. (2025). Sociological Explanation of the Social Development Model Based on Sport Development. Sport Management and Development, 13(2), 194-211. https://doi.org/10.22124/jsmd.2021.19452.2551
Kemp, R. (2019). Social development policies and their impact on social participation: A cross-national analysis. World Development Journal, 18(6), 789-805.
Krause, M. (2021). The impact of social development on political participation: A global perspective. Political Participation Review, 39(8), 56-71.
Lindo, J. M., Regmi, K., & Swensen, I. D. (2025). Stable income, stable family. Review of Economics and Statistics, 107(3), 653-667. https://doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_01304
Mahdieh, A. (2020). Investigating the effect of public participation on crisis management performance. Disaster Prevention and Management Knowledge, 10(2), 126-141.
Oftedal, A., Larsen, L., & Helland, M. S. (2025). Economic Hardship During the Covid‐19 Pandemic and Trajectories of Parent–Child Relationships: A Prospective Longitudinal Study Among Norwegian Families. Family Process, 64(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.70031
Saberifar, R. (2022). Predicting the probability of citizens' participation in crisis management based on time allocation theory (Case study of Mashhad city). Territorial Geography(76), 79-99.
Safiri, K., & Sadeghi, M. (2009). Students' social participation. Applied Sociology, 20(2), 34-42.
Shaw, R. (2012). Overview of community-based disaster risk reduction. In Community, environment and disaster risk management (Vol. 10, pp. 3-17). Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-7262(2012)0000010008
Smith, J., & Taylor, R. (2016). Social development and participation: A theoretical perspective. Journal of Social Development, 34(2), 123-145.
Wandera Clief Naku, D. (2020). Theoretical perspectives on the determinants of effective community participation in development programs. Journal of Community Development Research (Humanities and Social Sciences), 13(4), 1-14.
Zarei, Y. (2016). Assessment of some social development indicators in rural areas (Case study: Hormozgan Province). Social Welfare and Development Planning, 7(28), 193-230.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Borhan Naderi (Author); Khalil Mirzaei; Hamid Reza Fatehi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
