Rural Industries, an Effective Factor in Iran's Social and Economic Development Process: A Case Study of Boumehen Villages in Tehran Province

The strategy of introducing industries to rural areas is a mechanism for social and economic development in developing countries. Ten village (five villages with industry and five without) were selected around the Boumehen town as the sample site, which is situated at a distance of approximately 40 km from Tehran, to evaluate the impact of industrial zones on social and economic development of rural areas. The findings showed that there were significant differences between villages with and without industry concerning the following indicators: food, clothing, quality of housing, job satisfaction and security, non migration and the incentive to stay in the village.