Rural development is a broad concept which encircles several aspects of development. To measure the level of rural development and its spatial variation several methods have been recognized in social-sciences. In the present study, the Standardization Method has been used to identify the spatial variation in the level of rural development in Raghopur Block of District-Supaul (Bihar). To measure the level of rural development eight major factors followed by nineteen indicators and forty-five variables have been adopted in this study. A composite Z-Score has been calculated to measure the level of rural development and its spatial variation. The result unfolds the fact that out of eighteen panchayats of the block ten panchayats (55% of total) are characterized by low level of development. While, five panchayats (28% of total) falls under the moderate level of development and only three panchayats (17% of total) have remarked with high level of development. The major causes behind this variability are difference in availability of advance infrastructure, employment opportunities, agricultural facilities and self-willingness of rural poor.
Rural Development, Level of Rural Development, Spatial Variation, Standardization Method and Variables
