Social scientists have been trying to understand human behaviour patterns for hundreds of years. Factors such as demography, population, migration and urbanisation are some considered key determinants in explaining how modern behaviour develops.

Migration and Small Towns in Pakistan, written by Arif Hasan and Mansoor Raza, traces the pattern of various migrations, calculates their scales, the processes, the causes and the social and physical impact of these movements of people, which in turn impacts human behaviour.

In addition, it gives an interesting insight into the challenges and opportunities this pattern of movement, including migration from rural to urban regions, provides. While the book briefly touches upon the issue of undocumented and trafficked migrants and reasons for emigration to other countries and the brain drain it is causing, the core of the book is a study of small towns where major demographic changes have taken place. These changes have had a profound impact and led to a decline in the political and economic power these towns wielded.

The authors have chosen three towns, Mithi in Sindh, Uch in Southern Punjab and Chiniot in Central Punjab, each geographically diverse from the other, to compare the various reasons for migration and the resultant challenges.

Mithi, a sleepy desert town in Tharparkar district and one of the most under-developed towns till a few years back, has seen a revolution of sorts after being linked by a road network to the rest of the country. Lifestyle changes, such steel and china crockery replacing earthenware crockery, acceptance of modern attire, improvements in homes and use of modern contraptions in kitchens, are common. The use of cell phones has also become a common sight. In the fields there has been a shift towards mechanised farming. Socially, the caste system is losing its hold and people of different castes can be seen eating together. Construction of roads has led to a transportation revolution with jeep-taxis and car-taxis available. In addition, there has been a manifold increase in government jobs as a result of these changes and the real estate price has gone up.

However, the town lags when it comes to education and health indicators. With female literacy much below the national average, both health and education score poorly on the social report card.

Because Uch is not on the main communications grid, it has been bypassed by modern times, observe the authors, and here too, female literacy is shamefully low. The town, once a tolerant multi-religious society, became a uni-religious one after the Hindus left Uch during the 1947 partition. However, the green revolution in the 1960s resulted in mechanisation of agriculture. A middlemen tier came about who became financiers and established offices in Uch. This is cited as the reason people from nearby villages migrated to Uch. At the same time, the export of produce from farmland to urban centres has led to an increase in demand for manpower in transport and cargo services that developed in Uch.

The rural setting underwent a change as links with the urban areas developed. Those migrating from Uch to bigger cities like Bahawalpur and Lahore realised the importance of education and as a result many moved there to access educational facilities. Those children who went to urban centres to study underwent a change in their value system and decided not to return.

Chiniot, a prosperous town on the banks of the river Chenab, belonged to an already urbanised district. It had a well-to-do yet conservative class of merchants in the timber and furniture business. Taking advantage of the government’s industrialisation policy of the 1960s, many invested in the textile industry in Karachi and Faisalabad and have since become important stakeholders in Pakistan’s economics.

But the biggest lifestyle change was observed among the masons and carpenters who emigrated to the Middle East and later to Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. They later set up showrooms in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Emigration from Chiniot has meant development of contacts both outside and within the country. In turn that has “led to the development of a culture of entrepreneurship that is contemporary in nature” and expansion of business outside the small town. On the downside, small-time merchants in bigger towns have been “elbowed out” of the furniture business.

The study concludes that while remittances have had a positive impact on Pakistan’s economy they have not had much impact on the local economy as the money sent home from abroad has been used mainly for building real estate, improving lifestyle, purchasing household goods and acquiring better education. Because the money sent home is seldom invested in a productive enterprise, there is little left for the emigrant to enjoy upon his return from years of hard work.

At the same time, the authors have also observed that emigration promoted education, liberal values, emancipation of women and promotion of non-governmental activity.

However, all this has come at the cost of the break-up of the extended family structure and the formation of nuclear families. With education has come a yearning for a better lifestyle and the desire to live in a city where the physical infrastructure is better. In addition, liberation from “feudal oppression” is another reason given for rural to urban migration. As a result, observe the authors, “the areas from where they move lose political power, future civil society leadership and professionals”.

Migration and Small Towns in Pakistan (DEMOGRAPHY) By Arif Hasan and Mansoor Raza Oxford University Press, Karachi ISBN 9780199060658 205pp. Rs695