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Abstract_Final

J
Janvi Gandhi

This thesis explores non-permanent out-migration patterns in rural Rajasthan, India. The researcher conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups to analyze how different household endowments, such as education levels, land ownership, social networks, and caste influence the type of out-migration undertaken, such as seasonal work, commuting, or semi-permanent moves. Households with more land tend to engage in seasonal migration to maintain their land, while those with more social and political capital through caste connections tend towards semi-permanent migration to access opportunities. The researcher aims to show how household resources shape migration pathways and long-term livelihood trajectories.

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Abstract: Thesis Title: Understanding the non-permanent out-migration patterns in rural Rajasthan: a qualitative study of the influence of household endowments. Doctoral Student: Janvi Gandhi, International and Intercultural Studies Program. PhD Advisor: Dr. Javier Arellano-Yanguas This thesis explores the out-migration patterns in rural Rajasthan that are non- permanent in nature. Within the agrarian livelihood structure of the rural households in the region, out-migration appears to be a significant diversification strategy. The key research question is to understand the impact of initial endowments on the out-migration pathways of different rural households. During field research in the regions of Dungarpur and Udaipur, I used qualitative tools such as semi-structured questionnaires and FGDs to identify and analyze three specific non-permanent out-migration strategies that households are likely to undertake: seasonal migration, commuting and semi-permanent migration. To analyze these out-migration strategies, I develop a typology of rural households, influenced by their household endowment structure--Bebbingtons (1999) paper on capitals aided in the articulation of household endowments (Bebbington 1999). Endowments layers historical and cultural attributes, social relations, institutional and policy access, among its key components. I interpret the dimensions of human capital as education and skills; the dimensions of physical capital as land; the dimensions of political capital as political power and that of social capital as social networks. Caste forms a determining or an explanatory variable across the typology of rural households whereas the changing role of gender in the intra-household decision-making appears to be a critical variable in the backdrop of continued out-migration. Based on these characterizations, I find that the migration strategies are able to access these endowments in a process called endowment mapping (Sen 1981; Appadurai 2004) that reflect on their outcomes, and the path-dependency that the households experience. This means that households are able to undertake the out-migration trajectories are more
likely pre-determined based on the households endowments, maneuvering them towards set outcomes and not others. For instance, households undertaking seasonal migration are likely to use build or defend their existing land assets to continue their subsistence needs. Households undertaking commuting are likely to use reserve capital to improve their access to formal education and participate in local entrepreneurship. Households undertaking semi-permanent migration build on their social networks, a result of their caste and lineage connections which helps them gain access to political institutions and advance their goals of development. I reflect on the in-between non-permanent out-migration patterns that households voluntarily undertake, thus rewriting the language of development, social policy and livelihood transition (Grillo 2007; Ballard 2004; Osella and Gardner 2004). This implies that rural households are actively shaping their future livelihood trajectories, with elements of non-farm employment, urbanization and lifestyle and skill changes as probable manifestations of participating in neo-liberal growth through out-migration trajectories. Key Words: Bebbington, out-migration pathways, rural households, endowments, endowment-mapping.
Bibliography Appadurai, Arjun. 2004. The Capacity to Aspire. In Culture and Public Action, edited by Vijayendra Rao and Michael Walton, 5988. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Ballard, Roger. 2004. A Case of Capital-Rich Underdevelopment: The Paradoxical Consequences of Successful Transnational Entrepreneurship from Mirpur. In Migration, Modernity and Social Transformation in South Asia, edited by Filippo Osella and Katy Gardner, 2558. Contributions to Indian Sociology, Occassional Studies 11. New Delhi: Sage Publications. Bebbington, Anthony. 1999. Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty. World Development 27 (12): 202144. doi:10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00104-7. Grillo, Ralph. 2007. Betwixt and Between: Trajectories and Projects of Transmigration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 33 (2): 199217. doi:10.1080/13691830601154138. Osella, Filippo, and Katy Gardner. 2004. Migration, Modernity and Social Transformation in South Asia. New Delhi: Sage Publications. Sen, Amartya. 1981. Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Abstract_Final

  • 1. Abstract: Thesis Title: Understanding the non-permanent out-migration patterns in rural Rajasthan: a qualitative study of the influence of household endowments. Doctoral Student: Janvi Gandhi, International and Intercultural Studies Program. PhD Advisor: Dr. Javier Arellano-Yanguas This thesis explores the out-migration patterns in rural Rajasthan that are non- permanent in nature. Within the agrarian livelihood structure of the rural households in the region, out-migration appears to be a significant diversification strategy. The key research question is to understand the impact of initial endowments on the out-migration pathways of different rural households. During field research in the regions of Dungarpur and Udaipur, I used qualitative tools such as semi-structured questionnaires and FGDs to identify and analyze three specific non-permanent out-migration strategies that households are likely to undertake: seasonal migration, commuting and semi-permanent migration. To analyze these out-migration strategies, I develop a typology of rural households, influenced by their household endowment structure--Bebbingtons (1999) paper on capitals aided in the articulation of household endowments (Bebbington 1999). Endowments layers historical and cultural attributes, social relations, institutional and policy access, among its key components. I interpret the dimensions of human capital as education and skills; the dimensions of physical capital as land; the dimensions of political capital as political power and that of social capital as social networks. Caste forms a determining or an explanatory variable across the typology of rural households whereas the changing role of gender in the intra-household decision-making appears to be a critical variable in the backdrop of continued out-migration. Based on these characterizations, I find that the migration strategies are able to access these endowments in a process called endowment mapping (Sen 1981; Appadurai 2004) that reflect on their outcomes, and the path-dependency that the households experience. This means that households are able to undertake the out-migration trajectories are more
  • 2. likely pre-determined based on the households endowments, maneuvering them towards set outcomes and not others. For instance, households undertaking seasonal migration are likely to use build or defend their existing land assets to continue their subsistence needs. Households undertaking commuting are likely to use reserve capital to improve their access to formal education and participate in local entrepreneurship. Households undertaking semi-permanent migration build on their social networks, a result of their caste and lineage connections which helps them gain access to political institutions and advance their goals of development. I reflect on the in-between non-permanent out-migration patterns that households voluntarily undertake, thus rewriting the language of development, social policy and livelihood transition (Grillo 2007; Ballard 2004; Osella and Gardner 2004). This implies that rural households are actively shaping their future livelihood trajectories, with elements of non-farm employment, urbanization and lifestyle and skill changes as probable manifestations of participating in neo-liberal growth through out-migration trajectories. Key Words: Bebbington, out-migration pathways, rural households, endowments, endowment-mapping.
  • 3. Bibliography Appadurai, Arjun. 2004. The Capacity to Aspire. In Culture and Public Action, edited by Vijayendra Rao and Michael Walton, 5988. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Ballard, Roger. 2004. A Case of Capital-Rich Underdevelopment: The Paradoxical Consequences of Successful Transnational Entrepreneurship from Mirpur. In Migration, Modernity and Social Transformation in South Asia, edited by Filippo Osella and Katy Gardner, 2558. Contributions to Indian Sociology, Occassional Studies 11. New Delhi: Sage Publications. Bebbington, Anthony. 1999. Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty. World Development 27 (12): 202144. doi:10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00104-7. Grillo, Ralph. 2007. Betwixt and Between: Trajectories and Projects of Transmigration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 33 (2): 199217. doi:10.1080/13691830601154138. Osella, Filippo, and Katy Gardner. 2004. Migration, Modernity and Social Transformation in South Asia. New Delhi: Sage Publications. Sen, Amartya. 1981. Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.