Livelihood Patterns and Mechanisms in Borderlands: A Case Study of Mand-Pishin Border

Authors

  • Hemina MS Scholar, Department of Political Studies, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Lasbela, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Dr. Abdul Rab Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Dr. Amir Jan Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Balochistan, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62843/jssr.v6i3.745

Keywords:

Mand, Mand-Pishin Borderland, Cross-border Trade, Socio-Economic Conditions, Livelihood Pattern

Abstract

This paper, from a sustainable livelihood perspective with a qualitative case study approach explores livelihood conditions of the Mand-Pishin region, where most families rely on cross-border trade while confronting inadequate infrastructure, limited government support, and unavailability of educational and skill development chances. To carry out this study, an in-depth qualitative research approach was used, while using thematic analysis to identify the primary livelihood patterns and investigate the challenges that are reason for bad socio-economic conditions in Mand. The primary data was collected from 17 respondents, residence of Mand belonging from various and multiple professions. The collected data was analyzed through thematic analysis from which main themes emerged from the perspectives of locals of Mand. The study emphasizes the significance of analyzing the socio-economic problems and challenges and proposes ways to have better socio-economic outcomes. This study highlights practical guidance for progress of Mand that improvement in infrastructure, investment in human capital, and accessibility to borders are important for securing diversified livelihoods in the Mand-Pishin border area.

Author Biography

  • Dr. Amir Jan, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Balochistan, Pakistan.

    Corresponding Author: dr.amirjan@luawms.edu.pk

References

Abraham, I., & van Schendel, W. (Eds.). (2005). Illicit flows and criminal things: States, borders, and the other side of globalization. Indiana University Press.

Akyüz, L. (2013). Ethnicity and gender dynamics of living in borderlands: The case of Hopa-Turkey [Doctoral dissertation, Middle East Technical University].

Busari, D. A., Kayode, D., Olonade, O. Y., & George, T. O. (2024). Impacts of border closure policy on entrepreneurial activities in selected main markets in Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, Article 31. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02560-7

Cantens, T., Ireland, R., & Raballand, G. (2015). Introduction: Borders, informality, international trade and customs. Journal of Borderlands Studies, 30(3), 365–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2015.1068207

Chikanda, A. (2024). Informal cross-border traders and food trade during the global pandemic in Zimbabwe. African Human Mobility Review, 10(3), 14–33. https://doi.org/10.14426/ahmr.v10i3.2434

de Haas, H. (2007). Remittances, migration and social development: A conceptual review of the literature (UNRISD Programme Paper No. 34). United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.

Dercon, S. (2004). Growth and shocks: Evidence from rural Ethiopia. Journal of Development Economics, 74(2), 309–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2004.01.001

Department for International Development. (1999). Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheets. Department for International Development.

Eilenberg, M., & Wadley, R. L. (2009). Borderland livelihood strategies: The socio-economic significance of ethnicity in cross-border labour migration, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 50(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8373.2009.01381.x

Ellis, F. (2000). Rural livelihoods and diversity in developing countries. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198296959.001.0001

Haggblade, S., Hazell, P., & Reardon, T. (2010). The rural non-farm economy: Prospects for growth and poverty reduction. World Development, 38(10), 1429–1441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.06.008

Habib, N., Rankin, P., Alauddin, M., & Cramb, R. (2023). Determinants of livelihood diversification in rural rain-fed region of Pakistan: Evidence from fractional multinomial logit (FMLOGIT) estimation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(5), 13185–13196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23040-6

Hammond, L. (2019). Livelihoods and mobility in the border regions of Ethiopia. In F. Cheru, C. Cramer, & A. Oqubay (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of the Ethiopian economy (pp. 269–287). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198814986.013.14

Heller, P. (2012). Democracy, participatory politics and development: Some comparative lessons from Brazil, India and South Africa. Polity, 44(4), 643–665. https://doi.org/10.1057/pol.2012.19

Heyman, J. McC. (2013). The study of illegality and legality: Which way forward? PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, 36(2), 304–307. https://doi.org/10.1111/plar.12030

Jan, A., Faiz, J., Munir, G., & Rab, A. (2021). The geopolitical implications of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Journal of Critical Reviews, 8(2).

Majumder, S. C., Rahman, M. H., Suci, N. A., & Kabir, L. (2025). Post-COVID-19 economic and social impact on international migrant workers’ employment vulnerability: Empirical evidence from Chittagong division, Bangladesh. Journal of Computational Social Science, 8(1), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00337-9

Newman, D. (2006). The lines that continue to separate us: Borders in our “borderless” world. Progress in Human Geography, 30(2), 143–161. https://doi.org/10.1191/0309132506ph599xx

Newman, D. (Ed.). (2000). Boundaries, territory and postmodernity. Frank Cass.

Omotuyi, S. (2026). Oil smuggling, borderland and border management in Nigeria. African Identities, 24(1), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2024.2331515

Rashid, A. (2023). Everyday economies of marginal borderlands: Informal trade and survival strategies in South Asia. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 8(4), 389–403.

Rouillé, M., Overå, R., & Atter, A. (2024). When borders close: Social networks, resilience and food security among informal cross-border fish traders on the Ghana–Togo border. Maritime Studies, 23(3), Article 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-024-00378-w

Şenoğuz, H. P. (2014). Demarcating Kilis as a border town: Community, belonging and social mobility among socio-economic strata on the Syrian border of Turkey [Doctoral dissertation, Middle East Technical University]. https://hdl.handle.net/11511/24217

Shair, W., Afzal, H., Ahmad, A., & Hassan, R. U. (2024). Impact of remittances on household poverty in Pakistan. Journal of Education and Social Studies, 5(3), 319–329. https://doi.org/10.52223/jess.2024.5336

Singha, R. (2024). Economics of borderland and lives: Empirical understanding from Northeast India. In Indigeneity, development and sustainability: Perspectives from Northeast India (pp. 107–127). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1436-0_6

Scoones, I. (1998). Sustainable rural livelihoods: A framework for analysis (IDS Working Paper 72). Institute of Development Studies.

Turner, K. L., Idrobo, C. J., Desmarais, A. A., & Peredo, A. M. (2022). Food sovereignty, gender and everyday practice: The role of Afro-Colombian women in sustaining localised food systems. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 49(2), 402–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2020.1786812

Ullah, N., Raheem, A., & Hashmi, H. A. (2022). Exploring the functionality of smuggling and hindrance for border dwellers: A case study of Paroom-Iran border, District Punjgor, Balochistan. Global Political Review, 7(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2022(VII-II).14

World Bank. (2020, May 19). How to build economic growth and resilience in the borderlands of the Horn of Africa. World Bank.

Yarbro-Bejarano, Y. (1994). Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera: Cultural studies, “difference,” and the non-unitary subject. Cultural Critique, 28, 5–28. https://doi.org/10.2307/1354508

Downloads

Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Livelihood Patterns and Mechanisms in Borderlands: A Case Study of Mand-Pishin Border. (2026). Journal of Social Sciences Review, 6(3), 129-140. https://doi.org/10.62843/jssr.v6i3.745