School of Social Sciences

This review examines the book Urbanisation and Urban Policies in India: Trends, Patterns and Emerging Perspectives by Ram B. Bhagat and Mohammad Izhar Hassan, highlighting its interdisciplinary contribution to understanding India's urban transformation. It explores how the book bridges global urban theory with India's empirical realities, critically engaging with debates on migration, inequality, segregation, and urban governance.

This chapter looks at the relationship between inequality, labour migration and development in India. It examines migration-inequality-development relationship with a focus on those who are left behind in the process of structural economic transformation and livelihood change in India. While recent years have witnessed substantial rise in labour mobility in India, socio-economic inequalities often mean migration options are not available to all individuals and households, nor are the outcomes same for all members of the participating households.