Urbanization and development in Asia: Multidimensional perspectives

Presenter: Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis, UNDP Nepal, formerly UNU-WIDER Senior Research Fellow.

Over the last few decades, globalization has had a visible effect on urbanization and migration patterns across much of Asia. Analyses of migration patterns reveal that some of the largest movements of people in the world actually take place in the form of internal migration within certain regions and countries, as people move from rural areas to booming urban centres. With the help of selected case studies from India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, this volume examines the following issues: Why do people move from rural to urban areas? In what ways does globalization affect such movements? What are the synergies between globalization, urbanization, and migration? What are the challenges that come with resettlement, especially for minorities and other less empowered groups?

Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis and Francois Bourguignon, GDN 13th Annual Conference, CEU Budapest, June 2012