Transition Pathways and Capabilities of Climate-Induced Migrants: The Case of Ready-Made Garment Workers in Bangladesh
type: CreativeWork
description: Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, significantly affected by extreme environmental events such as cyclones, flooding, salinity intrusion, and riverbank erosion. These severe environmental stressors have forced substantial numbers of individuals from both rural and urban areas to migrate towards urban centres in search of sustainable livelihoods. This migration pattern, known as climate-induced migration, represents an urgent socio-economic challenge, exacerbated by limited policy support and urban infrastructure. This research investigates how climate-induced migrants (CIMs) navigate their transitions into urban life, focusing particularly on their efforts to rebuild livelihoods and pursue stability after displacement due to environmental and climatic disasters. It critically analyses the multi-stage transitions and employment experiences of climate-induced migrants (CIMs) in Bangladesh, specifically focusing on their integration into urban economies through employment in Dhaka's Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector. Despite its growing scale, this migration trajectory remains inadequately addressed within existing national policies. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data, including extensive fieldwork with semi-structured interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions, this research analyses CIMs experiences through the lens of two theoretical frameworks: the Just Transition Framework (JTF) and the Aspirations and Capabilities Framework (ACF). The JTF provides insights into the equity and fairness dimensions of structural economic changes required for sustainable transitions, particularly relevant to CIMs entering vulnerable urban employment contexts. At the same time, the ACF provides deeper insight by examining migrant’s personal aspirations and their capabilities to achieve meaningful outcomes within their urban environment. Empirical findings reveal distinct transition stages, beginning with displacement, progressing through…
abstract: Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, significantly affected by extreme environmental events such as cyclones, flooding, salinity intrusion, and riverbank erosion. These severe environmental stressors have forced substantial numbers of individuals from both rural and urban areas to migrate towards urban centres in search of sustainable livelihoods. This migration pattern, known as climate-induced migration, represents an urgent socio-economic challenge, exacerbated by limited policy support and urban infrastructure. This research investigates how climate-induced migrants (CIMs) navigate their transitions into urban life, focusing particularly on their efforts to rebuild livelihoods and pursue stability after displacement due to environmental and climatic disasters. It critically analyses the multi-stage transitions and employment experiences of climate-induced migrants (CIMs) in Bangladesh, specifically focusing on their integration into urban economies through employment in Dhaka's Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector. Despite its growing scale, this migration trajectory remains inadequately addressed within existing national policies. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data, including extensive fieldwork with semi-structured interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions, this research analyses CIMs experiences through the lens of two theoretical frameworks: the Just Transition Framework (JTF) and the Aspirations and Capabilities Framework (ACF). The JTF provides insights into the equity and fairness dimensions of structural economic changes required for sustainable transitions, particularly relevant to CIMs entering vulnerable urban employment contexts. At the same time, the ACF provides deeper insight by examining migrant’s personal aspirations and their capabilities to achieve meaningful outcomes within their urban environment. Empirical findings reveal distinct transition stages, beginning with displacement, progressing through…
author: Faisal, R.
date published: 2025
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:01:04Z
provider: University of Westminster
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Westminster

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.34737/x33wx