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Short-Term Labor Migration from Rural North India: Evidence from New Survey Data

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  • Diane Coffey
  • John Papp
  • Dean Spears

Abstract

Despite high rates of internal migration, India is urbanizing relatively slowly. This paper uses new data from rural north India to study short-term migration to urban areas and its role in rural livelihoods. First, we demonstrate the importance of data collection techniques tailored to understanding short-term migration. Second, we consider how traditional theories of migration apply in this context, where the fixed costs of migration are low, the opportunity costs vary by season, and where migration is negatively selective for education and economic status. We conclude by considering the implications of this migration for theories of development and development policies. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Diane Coffey & John Papp & Dean Spears, 2015. "Short-Term Labor Migration from Rural North India: Evidence from New Survey Data," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(3), pages 361-380, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:34:y:2015:i:3:p:361-380
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-014-9349-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Chhavi Tiwari & Sankalpa Bhattacharjee & Pradeepta Sethi & Debkumar Chakrabarti, 2022. "Internal Migration and Rural Inequalities in India," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(4), pages 1673-1698, August.
    2. Shaoyao Zhang & Xueqian Song & Jiangjun Wan & Ying Liu & Wei Deng, 2019. "The Features of Rural Labor Transfer and Cultural Differences: Evidence from China’s Southwest Mountainous Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Imbert, Clément & Papp, John, 2016. "Short-term Migration Rural Workfare Programs and Urban Labor Markets - Evidence from India," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1116, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    4. Imbert, Clément & Papp, John, 2020. "Costs and benefits of rural-urban migration: Evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    5. Dao Duy Minh & Philippe Lebailly & Nguyen Dang Hao & Philippe Burny & Ho Thi Minh Hop, 2019. "The Dynamics of Livelihood Vulnerability Index at Farm Household Level: An Empirical Analysis of the Coastal Sandy Zone in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 9(5), pages 77-89.
    6. Leena Bhattacharya, 2019. "Short-Term Migration and Children’s School Attendance: Evidence from Rural India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 62(4), pages 659-691, December.
    7. Björn Brey & Matthias S. Hertweck, 2023. "The dynamic effects of monsoon rainfall shocks on agricultural yield, wages, and food prices in India," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 125(3), pages 616-654, July.
    8. Imbert, Clément & Papp, John, 2018. "Costs and Benefits of Seasonal Migration : Evidence from India," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1161, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    9. Melanie Morten, 2016. "Temporary Migration and Endogenous Risk Sharing in Village India," NBER Working Papers 22159, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Gudibande, Rohan Ravindra & Jacob, Arun, 2020. "Minimum wages for domestic workers: impact evaluation of the Indian experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    11. Kopas, Jacob & York, Erin & Jin, Xiaomeng & Harish, S.P. & Kennedy, Ryan & Shen, Shiran Victoria & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2020. "Environmental Justice in India: Incidence of Air Pollution from Coal-Fired Power Plants," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    12. Arora, Varun & Chakravarty, Sujoy & Kapoor, Hansika & Mukherjee, Shagata & Roy, Shubhabrata & Tagat, Anirudh, 2023. "No going back: COVID-19 disease threat perception and male migrants' willingness to return to work in India," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 533-546.
    13. Zaveri, Esha D. & Wrenn, Douglas H. & Fisher-Vanden, Karen, 2020. "The impact of water access on short-term migration in rural India," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 64(2), April.

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