Research
PhD Paper 1
Abstract: This study delves into the gendered impacts of rising temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change on long-term migration patterns in rural India. Employing a districtlevel panel dataset that combines Indian Census data, multiple rounds of household surveys, and local weather measurements, I utilize a panel fixed-effects model to investigate the relationship between temperature levels and migration trends. The results illuminate a significant connection between increasing temperatures and a reduction in both female rural-rural and rural-urban migration. Specifically, the findings suggest that a 1 ◦C temperature increase is associated with a 22% decline in rural-urban and a 13% decline in rural-rural female migration in an average district in India. This decline is primarily driven by diminishing marriage-related migration among women, which constitutes the majority of female out-migration in rural India. Interestingly, these effects are more pronounced in districts situated in the northern part of the country, which historically had a higher prevalence of dowry customs. While the impacts on rural-rural female marriage migration appear to be mitigated by adaptation measures over time, the effects on rural-urban marriage migration persist and even strengthen in the long run. This study sheds light on how climate change is gradually influencing women’s mobility, potentially trapping them in rural areas and rendering them more vulnerable to its effects. Furthermore, it underscores the continued importance of dowry as a determinant of marriage decisions in rural India and highlights how preexisting social and cultural factors can constrain adaptive responses to climate change. The study underscores the urgency of policy interventions that consider local contextual factors to mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change on vulnerable populations, particularly women.
Publications
Mukherjee, M. and Fransen, S. (2024). Exploring migration decision-making and agricultural adaptation in the context of climate change: A systematic review. World Development. Available here.
Work in Progress
Climate Change and gender inequality in India
Upward Mobility in India
Reports
Linking Tourism, Local Environment and Waste Generation in Indian Himalayan States : Case-study of Uttarakhand (with Amrita Goldar and Diya Dasgupta)
Final Report, 2020, National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India.