CAUSES OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION

Now the issue is: why do people move from rural to urban areas? Migration is a complex issue and the answer to this question is not simple. One major problem in studying the causes of migration empirically is that it is difficult to measure migration. The volume of migration depends heavily on the definition of migration. Overall, the pattern of migration depends on a number of factors:

• Whether the definition is based on the place of birth criterion, the last residence criterion, the duration of residence, the residence at a fixed prior date or any other criteria

• Whether the level of analysis is national, state, district, locality or urban-rural residence

• Whether the interest is in long distance or short distance migration

• Whether the interest is in total migration or male migration

• Whether the interest is in development induced migration or migration in general

Yet, researches on the theme of migration show that several factors are important:

• Factors operating at the place of origin because of which people have to think of migrating to other places

• Factors operating at the places of possible destination because of which people at other places feel attracted to migrate

• Awareness and evaluation of the factors of migration

• Economic and psychological costs of migration

• Possibility of assimilation at the place of migration determining whether the migrants continue to stay there or must consider to return or move to some other places

• Individual level factors – some people at some stage of life are by nature (personality) more mobile than others. Among the individual level factors, the three most important factors are: psychological factors; demographic factors; and family background.