Labour mobility and the boundaries of the village moral economy

Abstract

On the basis of a survey that the authors conducted in 80 villages in West Bengal in 1981–82, separated into five clusters of neighbouring villages, they find some significant, though varying, evidence of territorial segmentation of the rural labour market and of limited labour mobility even within adjacent territories. Personal connections between employers and employees, mutual trust and credit relationships turn out to be more important determinants of labour mobility than short‐run wage differences.