Residential Patterns, Living Conditions, and Social Network: A Case Study of Nangrong Migrants in Urban Settings, Thailand

Aree Jampaklay, Mahidol University
Kim Korinek, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This study uses the case of rural-to-urban migrants in Thailand to examine migrants’ residential patterns focusing on the home of origin of migrants’ neighbors in destinations. Migrants’ settlement and quality of life are a growing concern, as migration of rural populations is a primary factor contributing to urbanization in developing regions. The study uses a migrant follow-up survey, conducted in 2000 among migrants originating from Nang Rong, a district in northeastern Thailand. We formulate three models to investigate possible explanations and consequences of residential patterns. The first model examines whether residential patterns are determined by migrants’ socioeconomic status. The second tests whether migrants’ residential patterns impact housing conditions. The third model tests whether residential patterns impact migrants’ social networks, measured by the number of persons known to migrants who are from outside their home region.