Reports
Discussion Papers
No.051 Migration and Wellbeing at the Lower Echelons of the Economy: A Study of Delhi Slums
by Arup Mitra and TSUJITA Yuko
March 2006
ABSTRACT
This
paper
based
on
a
primary
survey
of
households
(2004-05)
in
the
slum
clusters
of
Delhi
examines
whether
migrants
are
likely
to
experience
upward
mobility
in
their
place
of
destination
or
alternatively,
if
they
merely
transfer
their
poverty
from
rural
areas
to
large
cities.
First,
a
simple
bifurcation
of
population
in
terms
of
poor
and
non-poor
sub-groups
is
examined
along
with
the
incidence
of
poverty
across
different
categories
of
occupations
and
non-workers.
Then,
an
explanation
of
the
variations
in
per
capita
expenditure
across
households
is
provided,
and
a
binomial
logit
model
(poor/non-poor)
is
developed
identifying
the
variables
which
raise
(or
reduce)
the
probability
of
being
non-poor
(or
poor).
Next,
an
estimate
of
the
wellbeing
(deprivation)
index
is
derived
from
factor
analysis
of
a
large
number
of
variables
including
demographic
and
economic
aspects
of
households.
Empirical
findings
suggest
that
while
duration
of
migration
and
the
wellbeing
index
do
not
have
a
definite
relationship,
migrant
households
who
have
been
in
the
city
for
a
very
long
time
have
a
higher
wellbeing
index
on
average
than
those
who
migrated
in
the
last
ten
years.
This
tends
to
support
the
view
that
migrants
do
not
merely
transfer
rural
poverty
to
urban
areas,
and
further
that
population
mobility
yields
improvement
in
the
living
standard,
if
only
in
the
very
long
term.
Implementation
of
“employment-cum-shelter”
support
schemes
in
the
urban
areas
may
contribute
to
their
wellbeing.
Keywords:
wellbeing,
migrant
worker,
slum
JEL
classification:
I31,
I32,
J61,
R23
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.