Development Projects, Displacement and Resettlement: Ax Literature Review

The displacement of people due to development projects is a worldwide phenomenon. Development-induced displacement emerged both as a major concern and as a challenge in sociology and anthropology in 1990s. The concern arose because of a dramatic rise in development-induced displacement in the 1970s and 1980s propelled mainly by a global infrastructure boom and coupled with painful and disastrous outcomes in resettlement experience (Ranjit Dwivedi 2002). Displacement or the involuntary and forced relocation of people has come to be acknowledged as among the most significant negative impacts of large water resources development projects such as dams and hydropower projects. In this backdrop, the paper presents theoretical frameworks proposed by researchers over the years and it reflects on issues related to rehabilitation and resettlement of involuntary displaced population.

Keywords: development projects, dams, hydropower, industrial projects, involuntary displacement, resettlement and compensation.