The geography of economic migrants

Abstract

While there is considerable research on the intra-spatial distribution of migrants within a city, in this chapter, we look at the phenomenon in the context of Bengaluru, which is home to a large number of migrants. We have examined a large data set of migrants in Bengaluru, based on our primary surveys, who constitute 20 per cent of our sample of 2,700 households in the metropolitan area. We have found that the majority of migrants are mostly in low-skilled occupations. Mostly migrants (63 per cent) are located in the peripheral wards, and the remainder are located relatively more centrally. We also found that the relatively recent migrants (those who moved after 2003) had located only peripherally, lending credence to the hypothesis that the recent migrants are pushed out of the city centre. The migrants located in the periphery were on average more educated than their central counterparts, they also had better access to public services such as water on their premises, when compared with migrants who had located centrally. Based on a probit estimation of what drives migrants to locate centrally vis-à-vis peripherally, we find that high rents deter migrants from locating in the periphery, who may move to central locations, possibly to locate close enough to their jobs. Higher income migrants are less likely to locate in the peripheral areas of the city. The policy implications of the research are summarized.

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