Abstract
Economic liberalisation has created opportunities for semi-skilled labours within and outside India. This study investigates the male out-migration from the Sundarbans region of India with special reference to the choice of their destinations. Following a mixed-method approach, we collected data through a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, key-informant interviews, and Participatory Rural Appraisal. Analyses revealed that migrants tended to travel to diverse inland and even to overseas destinations on a fixed condition, facilitated by pre-existing support networks. The decision on choosing a destination is regulated by several micro-level determinants such as migration chronology, education, and acquired skill, life cycle stage of the migrants, the expected amount of remittance, the reason for migration, and nature of the job at the destination. The destinations abroad are often preceded by migration to inland destinations leading to higher acquired skill and savings. Joint families, having the ability to support international travel and access to support networks, were more prone to reach international destinations.
Highlights
Migration is common to many agrarian societies, and it has attracted multiple theories and explanations over the years (Brettell & Hollifield, 2014)
We find wages and moving costs to influence the choice of destinations (Berger & Blomquist, 1992)
We describe the inland and transnational migration from coastal West Bengal and study the chronology of the destinations pursued by the same migrants
Summary
Migration is common to many agrarian societies, and it has attracted multiple theories and explanations over the years (Brettell & Hollifield, 2014). The recent spur in the scholastic engagements with migration is a result of economic globalisation (Lindquist, Xiang, & Yeoh, 2012), which has created newer and diverse job markets for the migrants of developing nations. Since globalisation is stretching the boundary of migration from regional/national to diverse global destinations, it is crucial to understand the context in which a destination is chosen over another. It helps us understand where the workforce from agrarian societies of developing nations does end up and what factors do shape such decision-making. This link affects the lives of migrant families and communities
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