Irudaya Rajan
Biographic Data
| ID | 56674 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Irudaya Rajan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Irudaya |
| FAMILY NAME | Rajan |
| SIGNATURE | RAJAN I |
| AFFILIATIONS | Centre For Development Studies |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0990-5159 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 96 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 217 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 94 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Gender and Migration in the Arabian Gulf
South Asian Climate Transnationalism: Beyond Diasporic Humanitarianism
South Asia is currently on the front line of the global climate emergency, with the region experiencing increasing, devastating crises resulting from climate change and ‘climate coloniality’ (Sultana, 2022). This article, drawing upon original qualitative research, explores the relationship between the South Asian diaspora and climate action within South Asia. We introduce and chart the nature and dynamics of contemporary South Asian climate tran…
Ageing in Transition: Care, Security and the Silver Dividend
,
Population Crossovers and India’s Ageing Dynamics
A profound shift is underway in global demographics, with one of the most prominent features being the rapid ageing of the population. India is riding this demographic wave too, fuelled by improvements in longevity and plummeting fertility rates, culminating in a growing share of the elderly This paper examines India’s emerging ageing trajectory and identifies the potential age-crossover tipping points in the later half of the 21st century. Thoug…
Kerala Ageing Surveys, 2004–2025
Kerala Migration Surveys: 1998–2023
International Student Mobility: Precarity, Pandemics and Resilience
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors have nothing to report
Sending State Perspectives on the Global Migration of Indian Nurses
India has become one of the key sources for the global nursing labour force. While there is significant research on the experiences of Indian‐trained nurses in destination countries and their motivations to migrate, relatively less work explores the role of the sending state in this policy field, and rarely are subregional differences considered. In this paper, we focus on the policies and processes that are designed to or otherwise affect nurse …
Changing Fertility Behaviours
India’s fertility journey has moved from crisis to choice
Odisha Migration Survey 2023
Migration from Odisha is understood to be increasing, and in 20148, the state government identified 11 of its 30 districts as migration-prone. However, little is known about the magnitude, patterns, or processes of Odisha migration. Based on a primary survey of 15,000 representative households, the Odisha Migration Survey 2023 estimates migration from the state, examines its key characteristics disaggregated by region and social group, presents m…
(Wl-6914)-Unravelling Labour Migration from Jharkhand: Key findings from the Jharkhand Migration Survey 2023
Jharkhand was one of the very few Indian states that immediately responded to the plight of migrant workers from the state in various parts of India, during the COVID-19 induced national lockdown. As part of evolving evidence informed policymaking on welfare of migrant workers under the Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative (SRMI) anchored by Government of Jharkhand, a state level migration survey (Jharkhand Migration Survey or JMS) was carri…
(Wl-3492)-Demography, Democracy and Delimitation
The recent debates over the possibilities of lifting the half-a-century-old constitutional freeze on the state representation in Lok Sabha has elicited widespread indignation from the southern states. Since these states are the forerunners in demographic transition, it was feared that any attempt to delimit the constituencies would result in their loss of representation. Before proceeding with the delimitation, a number of several methodological …
The e-Shram Portal: Connecting Migrants to Social Protection
Migrant workforce in the unorganised sector are often excluded from social protection and welfare schemes due to systemic barriers, particularly the lack of proper documentation and identification. This issue became even more pronounced during crisis of COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the urgent need to extend comprehensive social protection to migrant workers. Recognizing this gap, the Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the ‘e-Shram Port…
The global nurse pipeline: Exploring migration, retention, and attrition in India's nursing workforce
The Future of Urbanisation: Migration Policies in the Post-pandemic World
Migration and Development: New Evidence from the Kerala Migration Survey 2023
The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 is in its ninth round of a long-standing series of global migration monitoring studies. Since 1998, K. C. Zachariah and S. Irudaya Rajan have pioneered a unique approach to studying all aspects of migration from Kerala. Originally undertaken by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) in Thiruvananthapuram, the 2023 edition of KMS was conducted by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT), with fun…
Migrant Vulnerabilities: ‘Guest Workers’ in Kerala
This article explores numerous socio-economic facets of internal migrants from West Bengal, including their subjective conceptions of their social standing and social class, and analyses how these facets are intimately tied to growth in Kerala. In Kerala, a sizeable portion of internal migrants come from North India. With approximately 2.5 million internal migrants in 2013 and a population growth of 235,000 annually, Kerala is a preferred destina…
Internal Migration and Development in India
Internal migration; migration and development; circular migration; rural-urban migration; migration and urbanisation; inclusive development
Be Patient, Don’t Complain (Yet)
Ever been confused about how to react when someone says they are doing something for your own good but you know oh-so-clearly that there is nothing good in it for you? Do you call them out for their misplaced benevolence? Or do you just acquiesce and come across as condoning their behavior? Both these options come with consequences, and costs. What should one do? This is a common dilemma for those subjected to benevolent sexism—a seemingly positi…
Gujarat Versus Kerala: Analysing Locational Factors in Internal Migrant Labour Destination Choices
The process of labour migrants’ destination selection is a multifaceted journey, intricately shaped by a myriad of interconnected factors. In the Indian context, competitive federalism has amplified the pull factors that attract migrants to new destinations. While Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat continue to attract large interstate migration, new corridors are emerging in traditionally less migrant-reliant regions. This study explores how destinat…
Special issue: Middle‐class Indian students: Migration recruiters and aspirations
This paper explores the perspectives and hopes of the Indian middle class regarding international migration, specifically focusing on educational mobility. It discusses the obstacles that students encounter in a fluctuating economy, their dependence on family resources and financial support for studying abroad, as well as the importance of social networks. Furthermore, it analyses how social media platforms aid migration and addresses the influen…
Marginals within the marginalised: Exploring the changes in occupational pattern among Adivasi women in the context of land alienation in India
Visibilising Invisible Population: E-Shram Portal and Essentiality of Internal Migration Database in India
Despite their contribution in boosting the economy, internal migrants remain invisible to policymakers. The sudden lockdown imposed by the Indian government post-COVID-19 and internal migrants’ unpreparedness created a deplorable and unprecedented situation for them in various cities. The crisis has reinforced the need to understand the dynamics and intersectionality of mobility and the disaggregated database of migrants. It has also called for i…
Intention to Emigrate Again and Destination Preference: A Study of Indian Nurses Returning from Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
This article empirically investigates the migration patterns of Indian nurses who have returned from Gulf countries, where obtaining long-term visas and citizenship is difficult, to determine whether their return should be considered a temporary or permanent settlement. The study addresses the likelihood of future migration and explores migration trajectories among these individuals. Our analysis reveals that returned nurses are more inclined to …
Re-emerging from a Hiatus: Migrants and Migration in a Post-Pandemic World
Social, Economic and Demographic Consequences of Migration on Kerala
Migration has been the single most dynamic factor in the otherwise dreary development scenario of Kerala during the last quarter of the last century. It has contributed more to poverty alleviation and reduction in unemployment in Kerala than any other factor. As a result of migration, the proportion of the population below the poverty line has declined by 12 per cent. The number of unemployed persons – estimated to be only about 13 lakhs in 1998 …
Female Demographic Disadvantage in India 1981-1991: Sex Selective Abortions and Female Infanticide
Using evidence from a number of sources (including the 1981 and 1991 censuses of India, prior research, and NGO reports), this article examines whether bias against girl children persists during periods of development and fertility decline, whether prenatal sex selection has spread in India as elsewhere in Asia, and whether female vs. male child mortality risks have changed. The authors present estimated period sex ratios at birth (SRBs) calculat…
Impact of Migration on Kerala's Economy and Society
This article reports results of the first migration study covering the entire State of Kerala. It encompasses both measurement as well as analysis of the various types and facets of migration. Migration has been the single most dynamic factor in an otherwise dreary development scenario in Kerala during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Kerala is approaching the end of the millennium with a little cheer in many people's homes as a result …
Spatial Patterns of Fertility Transition in Indian Districts
The article explores the dynamics of Indian fertility at the district level using a child-woman index developed from the four Indian censuses, 1961 to 1991. It employs statistical and geostatistical techniques to assess fertility change across districts and periods. Fertility decline is evident in every region, but sizable regional differentials exist. A cluster analysis of fertility profiles indicates that a clear spatial pattern of fertility in…
Covid-19 return migration phenomena: Experiences from South and Southeast Asia
Academic interest for the scholarship on return migration has received new vigour owing in part to the massive return migration waves observed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This special issue consolidates studies conducted in the aftermath of COVID-19 that study return migration experiences from South and Southeast Asia. These studies harness primary as well as secondary data in order to document what happened to migrants as a result of lockd…
Distress return migration amid Covid-19: Kerala’s response
Emigrants from Kerala, India, were among the international migrants affected by the displacing consequences of COVID-19 — job losses, decreasing wages, inadequate social protection systems, xenophobia and overall uncertainty — which led to large-scale return migration to India. Returning home due to exogenous shocks calls into question the voluntary nature of return, the ability of returnees to reintegrate and the sustainability of re-embedding i…
The last straw? Experiences and future plans of returned migrants in the India-GCC corridor
In this article, we explore how precise information about migrants' working conditions in their destination countries impacts their decision to migrate again upon returning home. Using household data from Kerala and Tamil Nadu from 2020-21, we study return emigrants (REM) who returned during the first COVID-19 lockdowns in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Through a binary choice model, we discover that negative experiences in the des…
Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India: Rehabilitation Mechanisms, Livelihood Strategies, and Lasting Solutions
Journal Article Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India: Rehabilitation Mechanisms, Livelihood Strategies, and Lasting Solutions Get access C. Valatheeswaran, C. Valatheeswaran Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar S. Irudaya Rajan S. Irudaya Rajan * * C. Valatheeswaran is a MPhil Researcher in Applied Economics at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. S. Irudaya Rajan, PhD is a…
The Onset of India's Fertility Transition
The Routledge Handbook of Refugees in India
Since the wars out-broke in the Sino-Tibet border in the early 1940s, Tibetan traders/herders have gradually settled in North India and took Indian citizenship. In 1959, The 14th Dalai Lama along with 80,000 Tibetans fled across the three traditional Tibetan regions to India. Today, more than a hundred thousand ethnic Tibetans are dwelling in the territory of India, and they are entitled to more benefits and tolerance than other refugee groups in…
Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India: Conceptual Framework of Repatriation Success
Repatriation to Sri Lanka has become a primary challenge to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Indian refugee camps, and a matter of significant public discussion in India and Sri Lanka. Anxiety about repatriation among Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and lack of initiation from the Sri Lankan government threatens the development of a coherent repatriation strategy. This article proposes a conceptual framework of repatriation success for Sri Lankan Tamil ref…
Land Vulnerability among Adivasis in India
Gender and Widowhood: Disparity in Health Status and Health Care Utilization Among the Aged in India
Despite an increasing feminization of India's older population marked by a high incidence of widowhood among aged women, women's health in later life and the health consequences of widowhood has received little attention in the existing gender and gerontological scholarship in India. Based on data of a nationally representative survey by the National Sample Survey Organization (N = 34,831, ages 60 and over), this study analyzed marital status, ge…
Marital Status, Family Ties, and Self-rated Health Among Elders In South India
Family-building strategies in urban India: Converging demographic trends in two culturally distinct communities
This article examines desired family size and sex composition, the extent of son preference, the underlying motivations for the preference, and the knowledge and use of the new reproductive technologies to achieve these preferences in two culturally distinct but economically similar immigrant communities in New Delhi, India. The two groups – one group from Punjab, north India, and the other from Kerala, south India – are considered in the literat…
The Impact of Immigration Policy on Indian Contract Migrants: The Case of the United Arab Emirates
Fertility Decline and Worsening Gender Bias in India: Is Kerala No Longer an Exception
From Kerala to the Gulf: Impacts of Labor Migration
This article reviews the economic and social consequences of labor migration from Kerala to the Gulf Region. In India, Kerala is both the major source of migrant workers and the primary recipient of workers' remittances. Based on a survey of 10,000 households in Kerala, the article presents the economic impacts of labor migration in terms of housing quality and amenities and ownership of consumer durables. The social consequences are assessed in …
Interstate Migration in India During the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Analysis Based on Mobile Visitor Location Register and Roaming Data
In migration and mobility studies, the availability of scientifically reliable data remains a persistent challenge. The recent move towards harnessing mobile and big data has also been unable to resolve the data issues due to accessibility, privacy, as well as ethical and methodological intricacies involved with such data sets. In this paper, we explore a new set of data known as visitor location register (VLR) and roaming data, which is recorded…
Trafficking to Gulf Countries: The Lived Experiences of Indian Female Domestic Workers
Ageing and Elderly Care in Kerala
This article presents an overview of the elderly in Kerala and describes various dimensions of elderly care and concerns, based on data from the Kerala Ageing Survey (KAS) 2013, conducted by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The article looks into the main issues, policies and programmes related to ageing and elderly care practices in Kerala and also addresses the basic care response at three levels: household,…
Financial and social security in old age in India
The concept of social security is highly relevant for individuals in times of dependency, like childhood, old age, sickness, accident and unemployment. In the present article origin of the concept of social security system in India is traced. Various schemes for government employees, labourers in organized sectors as well as for those employed in unorganized sectors have been enumerated. Schemes for elderly have been detailed. Further Kerala stat…
Sending State Perspectives on the Global Migration of Indian Nurses
India has become one of the key sources for the global nursing labour force. While there is significant research on the experiences of Indian‐trained nurses in destination countries and their motivations to migrate, relatively less work explores the role of the sending state in this policy field, and rarely are subregional differences considered. In this paper, we focus on the policies and processes that are designed to or otherwise affect nurse …
(Wl-6914)-Unravelling Labour Migration from Jharkhand: Key findings from the Jharkhand Migration Survey 2023
Jharkhand was one of the very few Indian states that immediately responded to the plight of migrant workers from the state in various parts of India, during the COVID-19 induced national lockdown. As part of evolving evidence informed policymaking on welfare of migrant workers under the Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative (SRMI) anchored by Government of Jharkhand, a state level migration survey (Jharkhand Migration Survey or JMS) was carri…
Special issue: Middle‐class Indian students: Migration recruiters and aspirations
This paper explores the perspectives and hopes of the Indian middle class regarding international migration, specifically focusing on educational mobility. It discusses the obstacles that students encounter in a fluctuating economy, their dependence on family resources and financial support for studying abroad, as well as the importance of social networks. Furthermore, it analyses how social media platforms aid migration and addresses the influen…
Women and Work in Kerala: A Comparison of the 1981 and 1991 Censuses
This study examines census data on women's work status during 1981 and 1991 in Kerala state in India. During 1981 and 1991, Kerala had a stable female work participation rate (FWPR), which placed Kerala 19th out of 30 states and Union territories. However, Kerala's FWPR declined in size and in the ratio to the male work participation rate during 1951-81. The work participation rate in Kerala was 15.85 for women and 47.58 for men in 1991 and 16.61…
Short-run variation in vital events in Kerala: The role of economic factors
Induced abortion potential among Indian women
Information on abortion is limited and inaccurate, especially in the developing world, which has led to speculation on the prevalence of abortion in these regions. A rise in prevalence of abortion is mostly counted in terms of increase in the prevalence of induced abortions which reflects on the reproductive health of women. With the growing concern for the reproductive health of women, the study of abortion has drawn the attention of researchers…
Financial and social security in old age in India
The concept of social security is highly relevant for individuals in times of dependency, like childhood, old age, sickness, accident and unemployment. In the present article origin of the concept of social security system in India is traced. Various schemes for government employees, labourers in organized sectors as well as for those employed in unorganized sectors have been enumerated. Schemes for elderly have been detailed. Further Kerala stat…
Female Demographic Disadvantage in India 1981-1991: Sex Selective Abortions and Female Infanticide
Using evidence from a number of sources (including the 1981 and 1991 censuses of India, prior research, and NGO reports), this article examines whether bias against girl children persists during periods of development and fertility decline, whether prenatal sex selection has spread in India as elsewhere in Asia, and whether female vs. male child mortality risks have changed. The authors present estimated period sex ratios at birth (SRBs) calculat…
Kerala's Demographic Transition: Determinants and Consequences
Indian Parish Records: A Qualitative Assessment
Dans cet article, nous tentons d'évaluer la qualité des registres paroissiaux dressés dans les églises catholiques du Kerala (Inde) qui relèvent du rite latin ou du rite syrien, dans l'optique d'étudier le comportement démographique au XXe siècle des populations concernées, grâce à une analyse par numérateur. Les registres paroissiaux des églises catholiques indiennes de rite latin ont quatre siècles d'existence et, par leur bonne tenue, ils s'im…
Fertility Decline and Worsening Gender Bias in India: Is Kerala No Longer an Exception
The Interdependence of Vital Events: Twentieth-Century Indian Kerala
The parish records of Syrian Catholics and Latin Catholics in twentieth-century Kerala, India, can be used to assess the seasonal fluctuations and interdependence of such vital events as births, deaths, and marriages in the short run. That the effect of seasonality has been more pronounced among the Syrian Catholic community than among the Latin Catholic community is due largely to socioeconomic, cultural, religious, and, more important, occupati…
India's Elderly: Burden or Challenge
Demography of Ageing Policies and Programmes The Living Conditions of the Elderly Perceptions of the Elderly Life Histories of the Elderly Conceptual Issues A Re-Examination Recommendations for Policy Actions
Impact of Migration on Kerala's Economy and Society
This article reports results of the first migration study covering the entire State of Kerala. It encompasses both measurement as well as analysis of the various types and facets of migration. Migration has been the single most dynamic factor in an otherwise dreary development scenario in Kerala during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Kerala is approaching the end of the millennium with a little cheer in many people's homes as a result …
Social, Economic and Demographic Consequences of Migration on Kerala
Migration has been the single most dynamic factor in the otherwise dreary development scenario of Kerala during the last quarter of the last century. It has contributed more to poverty alleviation and reduction in unemployment in Kerala than any other factor. As a result of migration, the proportion of the population below the poverty line has declined by 12 per cent. The number of unemployed persons – estimated to be only about 13 lakhs in 1998 …
Spatial Patterns of Fertility Transition in Indian Districts
The article explores the dynamics of Indian fertility at the district level using a child-woman index developed from the four Indian censuses, 1961 to 1991. It employs statistical and geostatistical techniques to assess fertility change across districts and periods. Fertility decline is evident in every region, but sizable regional differentials exist. A cluster analysis of fertility profiles indicates that a clear spatial pattern of fertility in…
The Onset of India's Fertility Transition
Social security for the unorganized sector in South Asia
This paper discusses social security programmes for the disadvantaged elderly population in the unorganized sector in three South Asian countries: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Owing to data constraints, the discussion is limited to social assistance, old age homes, and pensions. The analysis suggests that both the State and private voluntary organizations have played only a limited role in providing social assistance in old age. The outcome i…
An Aging India: Perspectives, Prospects, and Policies
Contents * INTRODUCTION * An Aging India: Perspectives, Prospects, and Policies * FOUNDATIONS OF AGING IN INDIA * Demography of Indian Aging, 2001-2051 * Perspectives of Research on Aging in India * ECONOMICS, HEALTH, AND SOCIAL NETWORKS * Economic Security for the Elderly in India: An Overview * Health Status and Health Care Services Among Older Persons in India * Aging, Disability, and Disabled Older People in India * SOCIAL AND FAMILY RELATION…
The Impact of Immigration Policy on Indian Contract Migrants: The Case of the United Arab Emirates
From Kerala to the Gulf: Impacts of Labor Migration
This article reviews the economic and social consequences of labor migration from Kerala to the Gulf Region. In India, Kerala is both the major source of migrant workers and the primary recipient of workers' remittances. Based on a survey of 10,000 households in Kerala, the article presents the economic impacts of labor migration in terms of housing quality and amenities and ownership of consumer durables. The social consequences are assessed in …
Marital Status, Family Ties, and Self-rated Health Among Elders In South India
Implications of Population Aging with Special Focus on Social Protection for Elderly Persons in South Asia
India
Data collection on immigration and emigration in India is carried out by various government agencies. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner and the National Sample Survey Organization collect data on immigration whereas the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs collect data on emigration. The Reserve Bank of India is the main source of data on remittance return…
Institutional Provisions and Care for the Aged
A comparative study of social and economic issues facing the elderly in India, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands
Family-building strategies in urban India: Converging demographic trends in two culturally distinct communities
This article examines desired family size and sex composition, the extent of son preference, the underlying motivations for the preference, and the knowledge and use of the new reproductive technologies to achieve these preferences in two culturally distinct but economically similar immigrant communities in New Delhi, India. The two groups – one group from Punjab, north India, and the other from Kerala, south India – are considered in the literat…
Ageing in “Poor Household” or Ageing into Poverty? Tackling the Policy Dilemma of Redistribution
The policy issue of how to target poor households rather than provide universal coverage takes the primary place in the question of redistribution where resources are limited. The Government of India’s social protection programs, particularly the old age pension for the informal sector of the economy, has taken a targeting approach. In this article we show that there is a case for universal coverage since ageing households experience greater excl…
Gender and Widowhood: Disparity in Health Status and Health Care Utilization Among the Aged in India
Despite an increasing feminization of India's older population marked by a high incidence of widowhood among aged women, women's health in later life and the health consequences of widowhood has received little attention in the existing gender and gerontological scholarship in India. Based on data of a nationally representative survey by the National Sample Survey Organization (N = 34,831, ages 60 and over), this study analyzed marital status, ge…
Economics (52 works) · Sociology (52 works) · Political science (51 works) · Economic growth (42 works) · Geography (42 works) · Migration and Labor Dynamics (42 works) · Population (35 works) · Demography (29 works) · Development economics (29 works) · Social and Economic Development in India (29 works)