COVID‐19 crisis and urbanization, migration and inclusive city policies in India: A new theoretical framework

• Published date: 01 November 2020
• Author: Namrata. S. Panwar,Alok Kumar Mishra
• Date: 01 November 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2249

ACADEMIC PAPER

COVID-19 crisis and urbanization, migration and inclusive city

policies in India: A new theoretical framework

Namrata. S. Panwar

1

|Alok Kumar Mishra

2

1

Consultant Grade 1, WR & LR, NITI Aayog,

New Delhi, India

2

School of Economics, University of

Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telengana, India

Correspondence

Alok Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor,

School of Economics, University of Hyderabad,

Prof. C. R. Rao Road, Gachibowli, Hyderabad-

500046, Telangana, India,

Email: alokmishra@uohyd.ac.in

This paper is an earnest effort to develop a coherent theoretical migration model by

embedding the dynamics of urban economics, ignored by the celebrated migration

models such as Harris–Todaro model of migration. The principal motivation behind

the composition is the eruption of the COVID-19 global pandemics, which has forced

migrant labours (the engine of a globalized economic system) to shift from the urban

areas to their origin. This migration crisis has put a serious challenge for the revitali-

zation of the city economy in the post lockdown period. Further, this raises the ques-

tion can the city provides the migrants better opportunities and benefits to get them

to return? In contrast to standard migration models that attempted to limit the migra-

tion into the cities, our new theoretical perspective highlights the importance of

agglomeration economies, urban informal sector and the development of core urban

infrastructure to catalyse agglomeration externalities in the process of urban devel-

opment and accommodating rural–urban migrants. The presentation of urban politi-

cal economy into the theoretical account of migration leads to the importance of

policies to augment agglomeration economies. These include the provision of infra-

structure and affordable housing and mitigate congestion diseconomies in the form

of sprawl, slums, poverty, traffic bottlenecks and so forth. Stopping migration or

wage subsidy to the urban producer is not only unrealistic but also a myopic solution.

On the contrary, cities should be prepared with planning, financing and governance

mechanism to create the infrastructure needed by employment-generating activities,

catalysing agglomeration-led and knowledge-powered growth. In the end, our model

suggests any approach to deal with urbanization issues in India must bring into

account the critical part played by migrants-urban poor and address their needs while

benefitting rural areas. The migrants-urban poor do not need charity. They need to

be recognised as partners in the wealth creation process of cities and deserve ‘right

to the city’on their merit. While markets have failed them in the past, governments

have also not catered to their needs. The urban planning and governance processes

which failed to recognise the ‘location’and ‘access’of the poor urban migrants need

to be reformed.

1|BACKGROUND

The outbreak of COVID-19 global pandemic has ravaged the city

economy globally by forcing the migrant labourers from their

workplace to their source. The crisis caused the situation precarious

in the developing countries, especially in India. The entire figure of

internal migrants in India is 45.36 crore or 37% of the country's popu-

lation (Census of India, 2011). The major source areas that experience

Received: 3 June 2020Revised: 15 June 2020Accepted: 24 June 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2249

J Public Affairs. 2020;20:e2249.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd1of13

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2249