Small City Dreaming

A JustJobs Network initiative

Today throughout the Global South, many small cities are growing faster-economically and demographically-than bigger metropolitan areas. This research project examines the way small cities shape the employment outcomes of migrant youth in India and Indonesia-the two largest democracies in the developing world.

Even though policymakers and researchers often train their focus on megacities, small cities host large shares of the urban population in emerging economies and play a major role in supporting the development process. Today throughout the Global South, many small cities are growing faster-economically and demographically-than bigger metropolitan areas. This research project examines the way small cities shape the employment outcomes of migrant youth in India and Indonesia-the two largest democracies in the developing world.

As both countries hope to leverage their demographic dividends by employing young people in productive jobs, their small cities lie on the front lines of development challenges surrounding urbanization, migration and work. Using a case city approach with both surveys and qualitative research, the project looks at economic opportunity and job pathways in small cities, and especially the ways in which gender and migration shape the nature of these opportunities.

Further, the project considers whether current governance and policy frameworks support the ability of small cities to enable social and economic mobility-offering concrete recommendations for policy reforms toward that aim. This initiative is made possible through generous funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Think Tank Initiative (TTI).

Our Partners

Pusat Pelayanan Perencanaan Pembangunan Partisipatif (Center for Participatory Development and Planning) is a research center located in Diponegoro University (UNDIP), in the department of regional planning
PIKUL is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1998 to strengthen local capacity and institutions in Eastern Indonesia. At present, PIKUL serves its mandate by facilitating “champions” and communities to create and achieve their resilient vision.

Citizen’s Forum for Mangalore Development

Citizen’s Forum for Mangalore Development is a civil society group that works on public awareness and accountability on a range of issues including environment, basic services and infrastructure, as well as social harmony in the city of Mangalore.
Manthan Sanstha Kotri is an NGO that works on empowering marginalized rural communities in Ajmer and Nagaur districts in Rajasthan, India. It started as a social work and research center for Barefoot College, based in Tilonia, and became an independent organisation in 1998.

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      Showing 21-25 of 25 results

      Perspective
      Urbanization 4 March 2020

      How Women Negotiate Opportunities in Small Cities

      Cities are often seen as sites of emancipation and freedom for women, as compared to the social restrictions of the village and the hard manual labour of working on the farm. Small cities might not offer the level of freedoms women experience in the metropolis, they do, however, create specific opportunities for young women to access non-farm work. A gender inclusive planning and governance framework is urgently needed to leverage the potential for improving women's work outcomes in these places.

      by Mukta Naik
      Perspective
      Urbanization 25 February 2020

      Small Cities at the Cusp of Multiple Mobilities

      It is already commonly acknowledged in migration studies that instead of one-time long-term movements from one place to another, migration is increasingly complex in pattern and duration. We find that small cities lie at the cusp of multiple mobilities, acting as origin points, destinations as well as transit points for migrant youth.

      by Mukta Naik
      Perspective
      Urbanization 20 February 2020

      Small City Dreaming: Where to Look for the Demographic Dividend

      Lately, policy makers and commentators have questioned whether the "demographic dividend" could turn into a "disaster" as countries struggle to create enough productive jobs for their ballooning youth populations. So far, research has focused less on the geography of the demographic dividend. Where are these young people who seek productive work? Where can their economic potential be fulfilled?

      by Gregory Randolph, Mukta Naik
      Report
      Migration 9 December 2018

      Moving From Principle to Practice: Provision of Social Welfare to Internal Migrants in India to Enhance Work Opportunities

      This report discusses the need for social protection for migrant workers in India, particularly in the construction sector, given its high mobility and vulnerability among workers.

      by Partha Mukhopadhyay, Mukta Naik
      Perspective
      Entrepreneurship 7 February 2018

      Factory Workers Turned Entrepreneurs

      To what extent do young people aspire to life-long industrial jobs, independent of pay or working conditions? And what work do they do once they've left the factory?