Gregory Randolph

Bihar’s unconventional urbanisation is not characterised by the development of industrial hubs that generally characterise the process of urbanisation. Despite being famous for its out-migration, Bihar is experiencing something that the author describes as “urbanisation from within” i.e. the natural growth and densification of small towns and villages, increased population density and a shift from agriculture to non-farm activities. This article points out challenges in this form of urbanisation and suggests changes that will transform these urbanising villages into centers of job-rich economic development.

Across the world, the nature of urban planning and city governance depends a lot on how power is distributed among tiers of government. India and Indonesia have both pursued strategies to "decentralize" their governments and invest local authorities with more power. Those policies and their effects, however, look different across the two countries.

Rapid population growth and a growing youth workforce, coupled with rapid urbanization, have created a policy imperative to generate jobs on a large scale across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This report focuses on Mangalore, Karnataka to highlight dispersed urbanisation and job opportunities outside large cities. It provides data and makes policy recommendations for economic development and inclusive job markets.

This research project, of which this city profile is a part, turns its attention to the ‘where’ of the demographic dividend – what kind of geographies are experiencing the transition of youth from agriculture to non-farm work?

Gregory Randolph, Executive Vice- President of JustJobs Network co-authors an article on how migrants are part of the solution for cities, published by Hindustan Times.

The JustJobs Network team has collaborated with the Future of Work in the Global South, to examine the platform economy workers in the global South. The findings and recommendations of this paper aim to improve policymakers’ access to data on platform economy work and, second, on using that information to design integrated systems of taxation and social protection and develop appropriate legal definitions of platform services and workers.

This report emphasises local economic development in Indonesia’s smaller urban centres like Kabupaten Semarang, Java and offers policy recommendations for growth.