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Framing Environmental Migration - An Analysis of Indian Government Policies

Stämpfli, Fabienne LU (2017) SIMV29 20171
Master of Science in Development Studies
Graduate School
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Environmental change has the potential to displace people all over the world, particularly those with high exposure to change and low adaptive capacities. In this context, migration is a response to individual and collective vulnerabilities, and thus represents an adaption strategy. Environmental migration can be triggered by environmental change directly, in the form of natural hazards, or indirectly, by negatively impacting people’s livelihoods. Policy responses and the feedback they produce have the power to shape such migratory flows. Underlying notions and normative assumptions behind those policies – ultimately how the issue of environmental migration is framed – are therefore of high significance. Drawing on previous literature on... (More)
Environmental change has the potential to displace people all over the world, particularly those with high exposure to change and low adaptive capacities. In this context, migration is a response to individual and collective vulnerabilities, and thus represents an adaption strategy. Environmental migration can be triggered by environmental change directly, in the form of natural hazards, or indirectly, by negatively impacting people’s livelihoods. Policy responses and the feedback they produce have the power to shape such migratory flows. Underlying notions and normative assumptions behind those policies – ultimately how the issue of environmental migration is framed – are therefore of high significance. Drawing on previous literature on how environmental migration has been problematized, this thesis explores whether India frames environmental migration as a challenge or as an opportunity. More specifically, a qualitative content analysis of five different state level policies directed towards climate action was conducted. It is demonstrated that, based on the state-wise results, the Indian government frames environmental migration as a challenge that needs to be solved by lowering the vulnerabilities of the rural population. Minimizing these vulnerabilities to stem rural-urban migration is a strategy likely to remain high on India’s policy agenda, due to major problems associated with India’s high urbanization rate. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Stämpfli, Fabienne LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMV29 20171
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Environmental Change, Migration, Framing, Vulnerability, India
language
English
id
8910103
date added to LUP
2017-07-03 13:03:05
date last changed
2017-07-03 13:03:05
@misc{8910103,
  abstract     = {{Environmental change has the potential to displace people all over the world, particularly those with high exposure to change and low adaptive capacities. In this context, migration is a response to individual and collective vulnerabilities, and thus represents an adaption strategy. Environmental migration can be triggered by environmental change directly, in the form of natural hazards, or indirectly, by negatively impacting people’s livelihoods. Policy responses and the feedback they produce have the power to shape such migratory flows. Underlying notions and normative assumptions behind those policies – ultimately how the issue of environmental migration is framed – are therefore of high significance. Drawing on previous literature on how environmental migration has been problematized, this thesis explores whether India frames environmental migration as a challenge or as an opportunity. More specifically, a qualitative content analysis of five different state level policies directed towards climate action was conducted. It is demonstrated that, based on the state-wise results, the Indian government frames environmental migration as a challenge that needs to be solved by lowering the vulnerabilities of the rural population. Minimizing these vulnerabilities to stem rural-urban migration is a strategy likely to remain high on India’s policy agenda, due to major problems associated with India’s high urbanization rate.}},
  author       = {{Stämpfli, Fabienne}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Framing Environmental Migration - An Analysis of Indian Government Policies}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}