Prof. Balakrishnan Rajagopal

Professor Rajagopal is Director of the Displacement Research & Action Network (DRAN), an initiative of MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, is a global network on displacement and land rights.

Despite the high incidence of displacement, particularly resulting from development and market led processes, we know very little about displaced people. We lack robust data on the numbers of people displaced, where they end up, conditions they face post-displacement, and what resettlement, rehabilitation or restitution opportunities were available to them. DRAN draws on the interdisciplinary expertise of activists and communities, leading international organizations, as well as cross-school resources at MIT to create a shared research agenda, apply new tools and technologies toward understanding the consequences of displacement, impact law and policy, and prevent displacement that violates the economic, civil, cultural , social and political rights of affected populations on a global scale.

Research Topics include:
Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement
Climate Change, Disaster Displacement, and Resettlement
Conflict-Related Displacement and Resettlement
Land Governance and Property