Labor Allocation And Rural Development

By integratingmigrationresearch in a comprehensive framework oflabourallocation at household and village levels, this study shows how migration factors are crucial in understanding the transformations ofrural communitiesindeveloping countries. Data collected in 4 villages within a wetrice-growing area of CentralJava,Indonesia, are used to examine why some villages andhouseholdscontribute a greater share ofmigrantsthan others. The decision to migrate is located within theconstraintsand opportunities of local labourmarkets, and migration is treated as one among many alternatives for allocating the labour of household members. The type of labour allocation choices made is lined to the demographic structure of households, the social position of the household, and theemployment opportunitiesavailable within the community. These factors are then related to processes ofrural development.