Introduction
Rural good governance, with respect to its indicators, is considered one of the most important and effective approaches to addressing the challenges facing rural development. Zirkuh County, located on the border of South Khorasan Province, despite its relative regional capacities and environmental potential, does not enjoy a favorable position in terms of development indicators. Accordingly, the adoption of good governance—given its positive impacts—can play an effective role in the development of rural areas, as it fosters collective consensus and cooperation. Considering the importance of management in achieving sustainable development, along with new management paradigms grounded in good governance, this study seeks to assess the state of governance in the rural areas of Zirkuh County. The research aims to answer the following questions:

What is the current status of governance indicators in the studied villages? And how do the districts of Zirkuh County rank in relation to one another based on the level of rural governance?

 
Research Methodology
The present study is descriptive-analytical in nature, documentary-survey in terms of data collection, and applied in terms of its objectives. In the library phase, the theoretical foundations of the research were compiled through consultation of libraries, relevant books, theses, and scientific and research databases. Subsequently, a survey was conducted, and questionnaires were distributed in the selected sample villages. After data collection, the level of good governance in the sample villages was assessed and analyzed by section using descriptive statistics and inferential tests. A one-sample t-test was employed to determine the degree of good governance in the villages, and SPSS 26 software was used for data analysis. The statistical population of the study consisted of 46 villages with more than 50 households in Zirkuh County, comprising a total of 7,220 households. Zirkuh County is administratively divided into three districts (Central, Shaskuh, and Zohan) and six rural districts (Zirkuh, Petergan, Shaskuh, Behnabad, Zohan and Afin). Cochran’s formula was used to estimate the sample size, resulting in 364 households at the household level. For greater precision, the sample size was increased to 373 households.
 
Findings
In the Central District of Zirkuh County, the indicators of participation, rule of law, accountability, and consensus orientation were above the average level, while the indicators of responsibility, transparency, efficiency, and justice orientation were below average. Among these, the participation indicator had the highest mean score (3.42), whereas the justice orientation indicator had the lowest mean (2.06). From the perspective of the sampled households in Shaskuh District, the indicators of participation, rule of law, accountability, and consensus orientation were at an average level and slightly above the numerical threshold of 3, while the other indicators were assessed below the desired level. In this district, the participation indicator had the highest mean (3.38), and the responsibility indicator had the lowest (2.33). The findings for Zohan District indicated that the indicators of participation, rule of law, and consensus orientation were above average, whereas the remaining indicators were below average. Overall, the results indicate that in all districts of Zirkuh County, the participation indicator exceeds the desired numerical threshold and ranks first, reflecting the participatory capacity of the rural community in modern rural management within the study area. However, the results of the tests reveal that the overall status of good governance in the study area is unfavorable. Specifically, the mean score of rural governance indicators was 2.52 in the Central District, 2.87 in Shaskuh District, and 2.84 in Zohan District, with statistically significant differences. The results further show that the participation indicator in the studied villages of Zirkuh County had the highest mean (3.40). The indicators of rule of law (mean = 3.28) and accountability (mean = 3.11) were at a relatively favorable level, whereas the other indicators—responsibility, consensus orientation, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness, and justice orientation—were below the desired numerical threshold. Among all indicators, efficiency and effectiveness had the lowest mean (2.34) from the perspective of the sampled households, indicating a poorer status compared to the other governance indicators.
 
 
 
 
Discussion
Among the eight main indicators of good governance, only the participation indicator in all three districts under study (Central, Shaskuh, and Zohan) had a mean above the desired numerical level (3) and was reported as statistically significant. This finding indicates that the rural community in the study area has a high capacity and willingness to participate in decision-making processes and local governance. Participatory capacities, both in terms of subjective participation (individuals’ mindset toward participation, collective thinking, and cooperative will in problem-solving) and objective participation (interaction among villagers, involvement in public and social activities), were at a satisfactory level in the study area. In contrast, the other indicators, including transparency, accountability, justice orientation, and efficiency and effectiveness, were in an unfavorable condition. In particular, the indicators of efficiency and effectiveness (mean = 2.34) and justice orientation (mean = 2.49) were at the lowest levels. These results suggest that governance structures in the rural areas under study face serious challenges from the perspective of the local community, especially regarding effectiveness, social justice, and transparency. Overall, the mean of the good governance indicators across the three districts of Zirkuh County was below the desired level, and these differences were statistically significant.