Investigating the promoting and inhibiting factors of the rural guide plan from the point of view of experts in Mazandaran province

Today, villages, with their unique settlement patterns and human livelihoods, require organization and development considering their roles in countries' economic and social aspects. For the preparation and implementation of the Guide (Hādi) plan as the most comprehensive and local rural development plan in Iran, huge costs are spent, and this plan has had significant effects on the physical, social, and economic structure of rural settlements. The multi-dimensional effect of the preparation and implementation of this plan on the area of rural settlements and the communities settled in them doubles the necessity of the pathology of guide's plan. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to investigate the pathology of rural development plans with an emphasis on the rural guide plan and also the factors affecting the advancement of the rural guide plans, which was conducted as a case study in Māzandarān province. The current research was descriptive-analytical; documentary research and a researcher-made questionnaire were used for data collection. The statistical population of the research was experts and specialists in the field of rural guide plan. The questionnaires were distributed among 30 of them. They were selected using snowball sampling. The pathological criteria of the studied rural development plans included (economic-social-environmental-psychological and content) in the form of 33 questions. Results showed that the criteria of eradicating poverty (3.26), lack of people's participation in the plan (2.93), not considering international laws (3.10), neglecting functions and activities (3.96), the role of private sector (3.46), common understanding of the issues (3.33), investment in the agricultural sector (3.23), identification of geological factors (3.36), are among the damages from viewpoint of experts of guide plan in Māzandarān province. Furthermore, according to experts, the results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that the influential factors in advancing rural development projects in Māzandarān province included three dimensions (economic, social, and content-related) within a framework of nine variables. Ultimately, solutions are proposed to address existing challenges and improve the effectiveness of the rural guide plans in enhancing the quality of life for residents in the region.