SPECIAL CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF NORTH EAST INDIA
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY
MONTHLY SEMINAR SERIES
The Complexities of Transition:
Labour in the Hill Economies of Northeast India
Deepak K Mishra
Professor of Economics
Centre for the Study of Regional Development
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Abstract: The hill economies of Northeast India are undergoing rapid economic transformation, integrating unevenly with broader circuits of capital and labour. This complex transition has reshaped the relationships among state, market, and community institutions. This lecture will examine the processes of economic and institutional change in the region, focusing on labour. It will explore how these changes have created opportunities for some while increasing vulnerability for others. Drawing on insights from multiple field surveys and secondary data, the lecture will highlight the implications of this ongoing economic transformation for labouring classes. In particular, it will focus on the gender dimensions of the shifts in the occupational structure.