Research Papers

Is it Push or Pull? Recent Evidence from Migration in India

Abstract 

Given urban areas contribute to more than 65 percent of India’s GDP, the sustainability of the rapid 8%-9% GDP growth India has experienced in the last decade, is dependent to a large extent on urban areas. With migration being one of the important factors contributing to the growth of urban population, we attempt to understand whether it is push (out of the rural area) or pull (toward the urban area due to its perceived benefits) explains migration in India, taking the case of Bangalore, which has one of the largest proportions of in-migrants to total population. An examination of these factors is done using a primary survey of migrants in Bangalore. Using a probit model, we find that the lower the level of education of the migrant, the greater the importance of the push factors whereas with increasing level of education of the migrant, pull factors become more important in migration. Women are more likely to be ‘pulled’ toward urban areas. We find migrants from within Karnataka are ‘pushed’. This suggests that non-farm employment opportunities have to be increased, rural infrastructure improved and the development of small and medium towns encouraged.