ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Bangladeshi villagers making livelihood choices amidst the economic opportunities and the development patterns. It also looks at how climate- and environment-related emphasizes make livelihoods difficult and make additional or better income necessary. The chapter builds on peer-reviewed research that analyses focus groups and interviews in different villages across different districts affected by multiple hazards and disasters, including floods, riverbank erosion, cyclone and drought. It argues that it is not only cost-benefit or risk-resilience considerations that matter in livelihood decision-making, but also the ways in which people perceive changes and response options and act according to the socio-cultural acceptance of the choices before them. The chapter explains how the decision to migrate is mediated by a set of 'behavioural factors' that assesses the efficacy of different responses, their socio-cultural acceptance and the ability to respond successfully.
