ABSTRACT
Labour migration has often been considered a safety valve: for workers to diversify livelihood sources in case of needs, and for economies to adjust labour supply in up- and down-turns. This chapter argues that this view is too limited and that migration is an integral part of economic development and processes of production and accompanying insecurity, through patterns of mobility that are structured historically and socially. Economic crises can have enormous impact on migration, both short-term and long-term, and direct and indirect. The poorest people may not be able to migrate, and the most poverty-stricken areas do not necessarily have the largest numbers of migrants. While many micro-studies describe the often extreme vulnerability and exploitation of migrants in India, macro-studies have continued to struggle with the role of migration in economic transformation, including during periods of crises. Migration in India is strongly gendered, with regional and class differences, thus structuring the potential of migration to be an inclusive force.
