Return Migration and Self-employment in Kerala: a Case Study in the Palakkad District

The return of migrants from gulf countries has assumed large dimensions in Kerala in the recent years. At present, there are roughly over 1.3 million return emigrants in the state. Migration of workers from Kerala to the gulf countries has received the attractions among the researchers. But only a few studies existed in literature on return migration in Kerala. The important issues connected with return migration, such as the causes of return, socio-economic background of the returnees, the current activity status of the returnees, occupational mobility of the return migrants and the problems faced by them are the only area where a few studies are available. Several recent researches have dealt with the relationship between migration and entrepreneurship,analyzing the occupational choice of returnees and providing evidence of their high propensity to engage in entrepreneurial activities. But no attempt has been done regarding the entrepreneurial activities of return migrants and its determinants in Kerala. This book examine the self employment activity related to migrants characteristics, returnees? situation prior to migration and their overseas experience of migration.