Development Studies, Social Policy & Administration

Land acquisition and development? Aspirations and economic mobility in Singrauli

Land acquisition and development? Aspirations and economic mobility in Singrauli

Land oustees have a common aspiration for employment in the urban economy.

Author

Sugandha Nagpal, Assistant Professor, Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.

Summary

This paper examines economic outcomes and aspirations of land oustees at a PSU’s land acquisition site in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh (India). Despite more heterogenous economic outcomes based on land acquisition experiences and caste positioning, land oustees have a common aspiration for employment in the urban economy.

The resilience of this common aspiration despite the uncertainty of commensurate economic outcomes points to a shared culture of aspirations that recognizes development in terms of non-agrarian futures. While lower-caste land oustees experience circumscribed economic mobility, the process of land acquisition facilitates an expansion in their capacity to navigate the future.

Published in: Canadian Journal of Development Studies

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