Transnational migration and gendered development in Kerala, India.

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Despite strong economic growth in India over the past twenty years, resulting in the country beingplaced within the top five world economies on some measurements, we have seen the intensificationof economic and social inequalities within India during this period. Contemporary India is particularlyeconomically and socially divided on the basis of caste, gender, class, religion and region. There is aclear need for inclusive economic development and welfare across forms of social differentiation inIndia.The relationship between international migration and development has recently emerged as a keyarea of global, national and regional policy making, as well as a focus of academic research throughoutthe world but particularly with reference to the global south. This is particularly the case in India.Intense and increasing scrutiny and legislation is being applied to the remittances, investments,philanthropic donations, knowledge, skills and social capital transmitted 'home' by Indian diasporiccommunities living abroad. India is famously the largest foreign remittance receiving country in theworld, the value of which outstrips international aid to, and regularly exceeds foreign directinvestment in, the nation. Furthermore, it is increasingly recognised that the Indian internationalmigration-development nexus goes well beyond remittances to encompass transnational financialinvestments, philanthropy, skills, ideas and knowledge transfer, as well as cultural, religious andpolitical transactions. Nevertheless, the overseas Indian as development actor is, while now hugelysignificant in policy terms, a relatively new phenomenon about which we have much to learn. Whiledominant discourses within academic and policy discussions tend to celebrate the progressiverelationship between Indian migrant transnationalism and Indian development, they have recentlybeen qualified by a number of academic studies which emphasize the complexity and ambiguity, andcall for more nuanced analyses, of the international migration-development nexus. Migranttransnationalism can exacerbate and create social differentiation and inequality within India,undermining inclusive development while simultaneously promoting economic development forsome. It is important to examine the impact of migrant transnationalism across transnational space,with the effects upon those who do not migrate being especially important.It is within this it is proposed that further research is required to ascertain the ongoing and longerterm impact and effect of the migration-development nexus in Kerala in relation to gender. The KeralaMigration Surveys, conducted by Professor S. Irudaya Rajan - the most recent of which for 2018document development and migration trends since 1998 in Kerala. Demonstrating the scale ofdevelopment taking place within Kerala, particularly with regard to education, improving literacy ratesand health outcomes, which compared with growth within the rest of India, are the most improved.For example, female literacy rates have reached 92%, life expectancy 74 and birth rates havedecreased (Centre for Development Studies).