Explaining the Relationship Between Economic Development and Social Participation in Natural Crises: A Grounded Theory–Based Theoretical Model
Keywords:
Individual economic development, social participation, natural disasters, social capital, institutional trustAbstract
The study aims to explain the mechanisms linking individual economic development to social participation during natural crises and to develop a context-based theoretical model. This qualitative research employed the grounded theory approach. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 13 experts in economic and social fields, selected through purposive and availability sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted using open, axial, and selective coding, supported by criteria of credibility, confirmability, and traceability to ensure qualitative rigor. The analytic process resulted in the identification and categorization of core concepts and the development of the final theoretical model. Social participation emerged as the central category, accounting for 30.73% of all extracted concepts. Individual economic development—including both subjective and objective indicators—comprised 21.79%, while social capital (15.08%) played a critical mediating role between economic development and participation. The relationship between economic development and participation followed an inverted-U pattern, with the middle class showing the highest likelihood of participation. Structural challenges such as institutional distrust, bureaucratic complexity, and economic inequality weakened this relationship. Participation manifested across pre-crisis, response, reconstruction, and emerging digital forms. Effective participation during crises results from the dynamic interaction of economic development, social capital, and the overcoming of structural barriers. Economic development alone is insufficient; only when transformed into social capital and institutional trust does it lead to meaningful participation. The proposed model offers a comprehensive foundation for crisis management and social development policymaking in Iran.
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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.
