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Rural-Urban Youth Migration: the Role of Social Networks and Social Media in Youth Migrants’ Transition into Urban Areas as Self-employed Workers in Uganda

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Abstract

Because of fast urbanization in developing countries, rural-urban youth migration has attracted several researchers to study this phenomenon. In the absence of an institutional formal framework or measures put in place to assist the rural youth migrants in their transition to urban livelihoods more so as self-employed workers in the new and challenging urban environment, this paper examines the role that social networks and social media play in enabling rural-urban migrant youth transition and integration into urban areas as self-employed workers. We used qualitative data collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews in Arua and Kampala, and we also conducted a focus group discussion in Arua city to complement the individual interviews. The research findings showed the continuous dependence of the youth migrants on social networks and social media in participation and belonging in the urban areas as self-employed workers. Our novel contribution to the literature on youth migrants and self-employment is that rural-urban youth migrants seeking self-employment mostly depend on social networks and social media in transition to the urban economy which necessitates a supportive framework by the government or city authorities for their transition and integration in the cities as self-employed workers.

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Funding

This research/paper has been supported by the Student-Led Research Programme of the School of Graduate Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Paul Ogwang Tulibaleka

  2. Department of Economics, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Miriam Katunze

  3. Faculty of Business Management, International University of East Africa, Kampala, Uganda

    Miriam Katunze

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  1. Paul Ogwang Tulibaleka
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Correspondence to Paul Ogwang Tulibaleka.

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Tulibaleka, P.O., Katunze, M. Rural-Urban Youth Migration: the Role of Social Networks and Social Media in Youth Migrants’ Transition into Urban Areas as Self-employed Workers in Uganda. Urban Forum (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-023-09494-y

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