Migration persistence across twentieth century India

Type Working Paper - Migration and Development
Title Migration persistence across twentieth century India
Author(s)
Volume 1
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2012
Page numbers 87-112
URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21632324.2012.716225#.VdkJQ_ntmko
Abstract
This paper shows the remarkable persistence of remittance-based migrations in India across the twentieth century. Drawing on recent national survey data and unique census data at the district level, we show that for regions covering 20% of the population of India, poor and rich, mobility has been persistently high in magnitude and has been male-dominated, remittance-based and circular in nature for well over a 100?years. This paper highlights the importance of social networks and deep rooted migration cultures influenced by source region conditions, in explaining migration persistence, and argues that remittance economies constitute a unique model of development that needs to be judged separately from other development models.

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