Fachhochschule / University of Applied Sciences 
Frankfurt am Main/ Germany
Studiengang Sozialpädagogik / Department of Social Education

Diplomarbeit

Migration to Urbanisation: 
Rural Social Work and the Prevention of Slum Growth

Von / by

Wottgen, Karsten A.

Abstract

Migration to urban areas is seen as a big contributor to the infrastructural problems in the cities. But, people do not migrate to the cities just because of the bright city lights; they also face problems in the rural areas which drive them to migrate. Social work is active in working with people and it shall be found out how the situation of rural out- migration and urbanisation is and what the impacts of social work can be in the rural areas as cause oriented intervention. Zusammenfassung

Migration wird gerne als die Ursache für die infrastrukturellen Probleme in städtischen Ballungszentren betrachtet. Aber es sind nicht nur die vordergründigen Vorteile welche die Menschen in die Städte locken, die Menschen sind in den ländlichen Gebieten oft mit Problemen konfrontiert welche sie aus ihrem ursprünglichen Lebensumfeld vertreiben. Es soll herausgefunden werden wie der aktuelle Zusammenhang von Urbanisierung und Landflucht ist und welche Einflussnahme die Soziale Arbeit in den ländlichen Gebieten haben kann.

INTRODUCTION 5

A. COUNTRYINFORMATION ABOUT INDIA ... 8

1. Main data, Geography and History  ... 8

2. History and Politics  ... 8

3. Socio- economical aspects and poverty  ... 10

4. Socio-cultural situation  ... 12
4.1 Women  ... 12
4.2 Caste System: Dalits and Adivasis  ... 13
4.3 Education  ... 14
4.4 Health  ... 15

5. Summary  ... 16

B. RURAL TO URBAN MIGRATION IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT  ... 18

1. Theoretical background of migration  ... 18
1.1 Influences in decision- making on the micro-, meso- and macro- level  ... 18
1.2 Distance- Approach  ... 19
1.3 Stress- Approach  ... 20
1.4 Migration as risk management  ... 21
1.5 Harris- Todaro and the neo- classical approach  ... 22
1.6 Forms of migration  ... 22
1.6.1 Seasonal or circular migration and rural- urban contacts ... 23
1.6.2 Chain- migration  ... 24
1.7 Summary  ... 24

2. Reasons for Rural to Urban Migration  ... 25
2.1 Rural- Urban divide  ... 26
2.2 Reasons of migration  ... 27
2.2.1Problems within agriculture: lack of land and irrigation  ... 27
2.2.2 External factor for agricultural problems: Liberalization  ... 29
2.2.3 Push- migration: Migration for survival and livelihood  ... 29
2.2.4 Pull- Migration: Migration for betterment  ... 31
2.3 Summary  ... 32

3. Effects of migration with special emphasis on urbanisation and slum growth  ... 34
3.1 Urbanisation  ... 34
3.1.1 Urbanisation and infrastructure problems  ... 35
3.1.2 Urbanisation, the migrant and job possibilities  ... 36
3.1.3 Urbanisation and slums  ... 37
3.1.4 Slums and their inhabitants  ... 38
3.2 Other effects of migration  ... 39
3.2.1 Economical upliftment in rural areas  ... 39
3.2.2 Urban- rural social influences  ... 40
3.3 Summary  ... 40

C. DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL WORK IN RURAL AREAS  ... 42

1. Rural Development and the role of social work  ... 42
1.1 Excursus: Problem and Prevention  ... 43
1.1.1 Some considerations about ‘problems’?  ... 43
1.1.2 Some considerations about ‘prevention’?  ... 44
1.2 Rural Development  ... 45
1.2.1 Top- down approach  ... 46
1.2.2 Bottom- up approach  ... 47
1.3 Social Development  ... 48
1.4 Cause oriented work – Why Rural social work?  ... 49
1.4.1 Why Rural?  ... 49
1.4.2 Social work: Working need, cause and people oriented  ... 50
1.5 Summary  ... 51

2. Social Work ... 52
2.1 Social work basics  ... 52
2.1.1 Clients of social work  ... 53
2.1.2 Social work ethics  ... 53
2.1.3 Social workers’ skills  ... 54
2.2. Functions of Social work  ... 55
2.3 Social work methods in this context  ... 57
2.3.1 People participation  ... 57
2.3.2 Working with groups  ... 59
2.3.3 Education  ... 60
2.4 Summary  ... 62

D. REASONS FOR MIGRATION AND RURAL SOCIAL WORK: A DISCUSSION ON THE EXAMPLE OF FIVE NGOS  ... 64

1. NGOs as a example  ... 64
1.1 The strength of NGOs  ... 65
1.2 Five Gujarat Based NGOs and their approach to rural social work  ... 66
1.2.1 AKRSP (I) (Aga Khan Rural Support Programme- India)  ... 66
1.2.2 ASAG (Ahmedabad Study Action Group)  ... 67
1.2.3 BSC (Behaviour Science Centre)  ... 68
1.2.4 DISHA (Development Initiatives for Social and Human Action)  ... 69
1.2.5 MARAG (Maldhari Rural Action Group)  ... 70
1.3 Summary  ... 71

2. Reasons for migration and the impact of social work  ... 72
2.1 Education and migration  ... 72
2.1.1 Formal education and NGOs activities  ... 73
2.1.2 Non- formal education, NGOs and social work  ... 74
2.2 Land  ... 74
2.3 Water ...  76
2.4 Income and Employment  ... 78
2.5 Food and Health  ... 80
2.6 Summary  ... 81

E. CONCLUSION  ... 84

APPENDIX  ... 86

ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY  ... 148

REFERENCES  ... 150

INTRODUCTION

Urbanisation and overcrowded slums can be found in the media and these pictures are often used to present overpopulation and unhealthy living conditions. On the other hand are the rural areas with also bad living conditions especially among the poor. After discussion with social workers from the rural areas and the urban slums, I believed that the social work of both areas dealt to a large extent with the same target group and pre- research supported my thoughts. This interrelation of urban and rural areas happens due to rural to urban migration. So I came to the point that I felt urged to find an answer for the hypothesis:

Social work should work in the rural areas towards an improvement of the living environment, because if the rural out- migration will decrease urbanisation and slum growth is going to slow down. 

This paper is aimed at discussing the position of social work in the context of rural development work and urbanisation with focus on the possibilities of impact on migration reasons. Rural development is believed to be important for the improvement of living environment in rural areas. To analyze the effectiveness of social work in rural areas with impact on the migration issue would be a too large project for a diploma dissertation within this time frame. This is therefore a horizontal thesis and not vertical which means it searches a position for social work in the rural development process and does not go into deep analysation of one specific situation.

Having the focus on the hypothesis, it is believed that guided development will work against migration through improved living conditions in rural areas. This improvement shall have preventive impact on the growth of slums and therewith also on the congestion of infrastructure in cities. Being aware that the reasons for migration are dynamic and change from region to region, the position and possibilities of intervention of social work in rural development will therefore be explored on the basis of five different NGOs. As the target group of this dissertation will be the socially weaker society, which lives first in the rural areas and then migrates out of lack of choice and end up in the urban slums, the discussion will be for their benefit.

Content:

For a clear understanding of the context first some information about India will be given. This will be followed by a description of the outward migration situation from the rural areas into the cities. Giving the context of migration and urbanisation a frame, the thesis continues with an orientation about migration and urbanisation in the Indian context. In order to understand migration from the theoretical side the Faists’ micro-, meso-, macro- level model is being used Additionally the stress- and distance- approach will be outlined in order to come closer to an understanding of the influences which determinate migrants’ decision- making processes. Urbanisation will be discussed as a potential effect of rural out- migration. Questions will be asked on whether urbanisation is an effect caused by migration and how it is recently discussed in the literature. Working towards a reduction of the rural influence on urbanisation through migration, the position of social work within the context of development has to be found. The development process will be examined with special reference to the writings of Bedi and Drèze and Sen. Before talking about working with a ‘problem’, the need is felt to know about how a problem can be seen and how intervention on this can be preventive. In focusing intervention through social work, guidance for social work basics gives the writings of Gambrill and Morales and Sheafor. After talking about the social work basics, a practical discussion will follow on how social work is able to intervene in the migration causes with reference to the recent work of five Ahmedabad based Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). As a change of the living environment in the rural areas, towards an improvement of the livelihood of the stakeholders, involves development, the discussion for prevention of slum growth revolves mostly around the development in the rural areas and in this context on the basis of social work

Methodology:

The time frame for writing this thesis in Ahmedabad/ India was 10 weeks. The methodology was qualitative based. The theoretical part gets extended with practical information of five Gujarat based NGOs. The literature research was done in libraries in Ahmedabad. Literature regarding social work as well as social sciences and economic literature was used. A broad range of literature was selected for every topic to have a clear and broad perspective of the situation. The guideline interviews were held with hands- on experts¹ in the field of rural social work and gave me the basis for the practical section. The selection of NGOs was done without specific pre- knowledge, but it was important that they are involved in social work in rural areas.²

This dissertation can contribute to the migration discussion from the practical social work oriented perspective. It has three main aims: first, to have a compact paper for a position of social work in the widely discussed field of rural out- migration and rural development, second, the interrelation of urbanisation, slum growth and migration with the preventive impact of social work shall be questioned and third, it will show the holistic approach which is needed for social work, in India as well as in Germany.

[....]

1 As experts had workers of NGOs been selected who have knowledge of theoretical background of the NGO and of the situation in the field.

2 I am aware that social work in India is a inflationary used term and I fixed with some pre-questions the usefulness of the NGOs for this thesis.