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Many Rivers to Cross: Social Identity, Cognition and Labour Mobility in Rural India

Michiels, Sebastien; Nordman, Christophe J.; Seetahul, S. (2021), Many Rivers to Cross: Social Identity, Cognition and Labour Mobility in Rural India, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 697, 1, p. 66–80. 10.1177/00027162211055990

Type
Article accepté pour publication ou publié
Date
2021
Journal name
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Volume
697
Number
1
Publisher
Sage
Pages
66–80
Publication identifier
Metadata
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Author(s)
Michiels, Sebastien
Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique [CREST]
Développement, institutions et analyses de long terme [DIAL]
Nordman, Christophe J. cc
Développement, institutions et analyses de long terme [DIAL]
Seetahul, S.
Abstract (EN)
This study analyzes whether individual skills and personality traits facilitate labor market mobility of disadvantaged groups and rural migrants. We use a panel dataset of individuals in rural South India to explore the relationship between individual cognitive skills, personality traits, and income mobility. We take advantage of intragroup heterogeneity in terms of cognitive skills and personality traits to examine whether these personal characteristics enable individuals to overcome rigid social structures, exploring the role of these skills and traits in migrants’ income mobility. We show that despite strong rigidity in the area’s labor market structure, personality traits are important determinants of labor mobility, enabling individuals to overcome caste and gender discrimination, but that these personality traits do not contribute to increases in migrants’ income mobility.
Subjects / Keywords
Income mobility; cognitive skills; personality; Tamil Nadu; India
JEL
O53 - Asia including Middle East
O15 - Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
O18 - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure