مقایسه تطبیقی نگاه به محیط زیست وکارآفرینی روستایی درایران و جهان با تاکید بر علم پژوهی

ABSTRACT




Objective: In recent years, rural entrepreneurship have emerged as a critical mechanism for addressing economic and social challenges in rural areas. These enterprises serve as primary drivers of employment generation, income growth, and improved living conditions for rural populations while functioning as engines of sustainable development. However, their expansion is invariably accompanied by environmental challenges. The direct dependence of these activities on natural resources heightens the vulnerability of rural ecosystems, amplifying both economic and social consequences. Failure to integrate environmental considerations can lead to resource degradation, loss of biodiversity, and threats to rural ecosystems. Accordingly, adherence to sustainability principles, environmental ethics, and corporate social responsibility not only mitigates negative impacts but also fosters long-term economic growth and enhanced competitiveness. Nevertheless, compliance with environmental requirements often raises production costs and diminishes entrepreneurial motivation. Success in this domain therefore demands an integrated approach combining supportive policies, education and awareness-raising, local community participation, and effective regulatory frameworks. Using a scientometric approach, this study investigates the ethical dimensions and legal requirements of rural entrepreneurship, elucidating similarities and differences between domestic (Iranian) and international approaches.
Method: This study adopts a Scientific research approach combined with a systematic qualitative–descriptive–analytical method. Data were collected from Persian- and English-language scholarly articles published between 2010 and 2025. Reputable national and international databases were searched using keywords related to rural entrepreneurship, rural business, environmental considerations, and sustainable development. A three-stage screening process was applied: (1) title and abstract review, (2) full-text reading, and (3) methodological quality assessment. Inclusion criteria comprised direct relevance to the topic, explicit focus on environmental aspects, and use of rigorous scientific methods; low-quality or off-topic papers were excluded. Ultimately, 29 articles (7 Persian and 22 English) were selected from an initial pool of 61. Data analysis was performed using VOSviewer software, encompassing co-occurrence analysis of keywords, author collaboration networks, and thematic clustering in the domains of environmental impacts, sustainability solutions, policy-making, and social responsibility. This approach enabled systematic comparison of domestic and international strategies and facilitated the development of a hybrid model to balance rural entrepreneurship development with environmental protection.
Results: The analysis firmly indicates that neither strict hard regulatory mandates nor soft voluntary ethical pledges alone can provide fully comprehensive, sustainable, and effective environmental management solutions for rural entrepreneurship.Hard approaches, characterized by formal regulations and enforcement mechanisms, demonstrate considerable effectiveness in reducing pollution, with success rates ranging from 65% to 75%, and offer rapid, measurable outcomes (Zhu & Sarkis, 2004; Dechezleprêtre & Sato, 2017). However, these approaches often impose substantial financial burdens on small-scale rural enterprises, frequently exceeding 10% of their annual budgets. Moreover, their effectiveness is significantly constrained in regions with weak institutional capacity and limited monitoring infrastructure, leading to inconsistent implementation. Conversely, soft approaches emphasize education, awareness-raising, and the cultivation of intrinsic motivation among stakeholders. These strategies achieve relatively high voluntary participation rates (approximately 72–75%) and contribute to notable energy savings of around 30%. In addition, they play a critical role in fostering long-term cultural transformation, strengthening social capital, and enhancing community trust (Wang et al., 2018; Hepburn, 2010). Nevertheless, their success largely depends on pre-existing levels of environmental literacy, as well as the availability of institutional support and facilitation mechanisms. A longitudinal examination of research trends reveals divergent trajectories between Iranian and international scholarship. Between 2010 and 2015, Persian-language studies in Iran predominantly focused on ethical awareness and managerial responsibility, whereas global research emphasized regulatory frameworks, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and technological innovation influenced by international agreements. During the 2015–2020 period, Iranian research shifted toward reinforcing national and local regulations, although implementation gaps remained evident. In contrast, international studies increasingly prioritized sustainable development, public participation, and green technologies. From 2020 to 2025, Iranian publications began integrating individual ethics, emerging technologies, and supportive legislation, while global scholarship advanced toward cross-border collaboration and stricter compliance regimes. These differences underscore structural variations in institutional capacity, enforcement effectiveness, and levels of integration into the global environmental governance system.
Conclusion: The most effective strategy is a context-sensitive hybrid model that strategically combines both approaches: initial investment in soft measures to build awareness and cultural readiness, followed by gradual, regionally tailored regulatory enforcement supported by financial and technical assistance. Local communities must be positioned as genuine partners in decision-making and implementation.   To advance environmental performance in Iran’s rural sector, policymakers must strengthen legislation, enhance transparency and reporting, promote CSR, incentivize technological innovation, deepen international cooperation, and sustain public education and civil-society engagement.
Keywords: rural entrepreneurship, Environmental Considerations, Scientific research, Sustainable Development, VOSviewer