Investigating the social effects and impacts of Likak town on the development of the surrounding region

During the past two decades, the number of small towns has grown dramatically in Iran. Small towns have different functions such as providing services and facilities and overcoming deprivation of surrounding regions, population stability, improving employment and income, creating a market for agricultural products, agricultural development, increasing access to banking and health facilities and services, exchanging of information and communication and so on. This study was done to investigate the social effects and impacts of Likak town on the development of the surrounding villages and the region in two periods: before and after the town was established. In this study, two methods were used including library research to study theories and field study to collect households’ information. According to the study, the statistical population of the research consisted of the head of households. In the field study, 220 households were selected using Cochran's formula and stratified sampling. The general findings of the research indicated that there was absorb effects of rural resources by the town. In other words, the effect of absorb was more than the effects of diffusion. The status of villages has not considerable improvement in terms of population stability, social capital, agricultural products and development.