Analysis and Identification of Drivers and Factors Affecting the Development of Border Areas with a Futurology Approach (Case Study: Sistan and Baluchistan Province)

Iran's border areas are considered to be among the most valuable lands in the Middle East. The social and economic life of border areas is directly affected by the connection with international borders. The existence of sea and land borders of Sistan and Baluchistan has led to the development of these areas, led to regional development in the province, and increased interactions with the countries of the region. Sistan-Baluchistan has been facing security challenges in the border areas for years; but now that security is prevailing in the borders, the concern and problem of the present research is the lack of recognition and utilization of effective drivers in the border area of the province, which has been created in line with the security and one-dimensional view of the border areas and causes poverty, underdevelopment, and regional inequalities. For this reason, the current research has used the futurology approach with the aim of analyzing the driver’s effectiveness on development and how they affect the future of the border areas of Sistan and Baluchistan. The research method is qualitative exploratory analysis type. The library method has been used to collect data. In order to analyze the data, the method of mutual effects was used by Mikmak software. The results show that border investment security, sanctions, management style, the role of academic forces in the development of borders, the existence of a railway network on both sides of the border, the level of literacy, the fight against human trafficking and goods smuggling, and local human resources are the drivers with the highest level of influence in the development of border areas that should be taken into consideration in the provincial development plans.