Urbanisation and Human Welfare in the Era of Globalisation: A Case Study in Burdwan, West Bengal

Urbanization is referred to as a process in which an increasing proportion of population lives in cities and the suburbs of the cities. This paper analyses the changes in human welfare associated with urbanization in the global era as captured by a set of socio-economic indicators. The study is undertaken for nine municipalities of Burdwan district of West Bengal, India, during the two census points (1991 and 2001). Due to limitations in data availability at district level, a composite Modified Human Development Index (MHDI) is constructed. It is found that there are persistent inequities in the human welfare of urbanization in a global era. There is a decline of traditional urban centers and rise of new centers and there is little correlation between facilities and outcome. However, the results cannot be generalized without covering more districts and time points.