Domestic Migrant Well-Being Orientations in Policy in a Developing Country (India): A Reflection

Abstract

This article reflects on domestic migrant well-being orientations in policy in a developing country—India. Well-being has been conceptualized in many different ways, both in scholarly and practitioner literature. Given the lack of consensus on the well-being construct in general and especially so for domestic migrants, this study conceptualizes domestic migrant well-being in terms of three key dimensions—economic, sociocultural and health—and reflects on well-being orientations in policy in pre-COVID years and thereafter. The three-dimensional approach shows domestic migrant well-being in policy is more geared towards the economic relative to the sociocultural and health dimensions in the developing country context of India. This article also observes gaps and issues vis-à-vis standards recommended by global bodies. While the article commends the need to prioritize economic well-being, it also reflects on the current scope for improvement on all three dimensions and suggests measures to further strengthen the same.