Village and Development

Village and Development

The Impact of Border Markets on the Development of Border Regions (Case Study: The Milak and Mirjaveh Border Markets, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
M. Samian 1
M. Esfandiari 2
1 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran.
10.30490/rvt.2025.367487.1685
Abstract
Introduction
The establishment of border markets is among the most recognized methods for developing border regions. Considering the importance of trade and commerce as the engine of economic growth, border markets are institutions whose optimal performance lays the groundwork for spatial balance, increased distributive justice, and inter-regional development.
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of border markets on the development of border regions. In terms of objective, it is an applied research; regarding the ability to control variables, it is a field study; and concerning its nature, it is a descriptive-survey research. In essence, the present study is descriptive research of an exploratory and confirmatory nature. The statistical population of the study consists of households in the areas covered by border markets (within a 20-kilometer radius of the markets), who were selected based on an assigned random sampling method and systematically. Accordingly, 227 households from the vicinity of the Milak border market and 173 households from the vicinity of the Mirjaveh border market were selected.
Results and Discussion
The results of exploratory factor analysis revealed that four key factors (political-security, economic, socio-cultural, and spatial-physical) significantly affect the impact of border markets on the development of border regions in the two studied markets. Furthermore, the results of the first-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the theoretical model of the research. Additionally, the results of the second-order confirmatory factor analysis indicated that among the second-order factor loadings, the political-security construct (0.89) had the greatest impact, followed in descending order by the economic construct (0.49), the socio-cultural construct (0.38), and the spatial-physical construct (0.33) on the main construct (the effects of border markets on border region development).
Conclusions
Based on the research findings, it was determined that the primary impact of border markets on the development of border regions has been in the political and particularly security domains, with limited effect observed in other areas, especially the economic and social factors of these regions. Therefore, it is recommended that to enhance the influence of border markets, greater permission for commercial activities be granted to the local population, and special legal privileges be established to support their trade and commercial endeavors.
Keywords
Border Markets
Border Region Development
Rural Development
Milak and Mirjaveh
Sistan and Baluchestan
Subjects
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