Grant Assistance for Students and Young Researchers on Migration and Sustainable Development in Nepal

The project will provide grant assistance to six students and young researchers with research interests on migration and sustainable development. The target participants will be final year graduate students or recent graduates (early researchers) in migration studies, social science, law, public policy, public health, climate change and environment, population studies, economics and anthropology or with equivalent work experience in these sectors.

Objective

• The overall objective of this assignment is to carry out a dissertation of Masters/MPhil studies related to Human Migration and Sustainable development.

Scope

• IOM Nepal and the Central Department of Population Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University (TU) in coordination with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) will guide the students and early researcher for their research.

Areas of Research

• Social Protection and Migration:
  • Overview of existing social protection and security mechanisms in Nepal
  • Opportunities and challenges for integrated approaches
  • Exploring the inclusion of cross-border land migration in social protection systems for enhanced migrant worker protection
• Migration and Health:
  • Key issues and emerging challenges related to migrant health
  • Prevalence of health conditions and access to services
  • Health economics, insurance models, and policy recommendations
• Migration, Familialization and Defamilialization in Nepal:
  • Family formation, individualization, and changing household structures
  • Economic, social, and cultural impacts of migration on families and communities
• Flight of Remittances from Nepal:
  • Review of outbound student migration and in-flow of foreign nationals labour migrants in Nepal
  • Analysis of remittance flows from Nepal to various destinations
  • Economic impact of remittances on Nepal’s economy
• Internal Migration and Highway Settlements:
  • Historical trends and development of highway settlements in Nepal
  • Current challenges and future development prospects of internal migration patterns
• Climate-Induced Migration in Mountainous Regions:
  • Forced migration due to climate change and natural hazards (e.g., droughts, changing weather patters, floods, landslides, wildfires)
  • Impact on livelihoods and community resilience in mountain regions
• Irregular Migration from Nepal:
  • Analysis of irregular migration routes to developed countries
  • Case studies including widely reported instances of mass village migration
  • Media monitoring of irregular migration coverage over the past two years
  • Patterns, drivers, and policy recommendations to address irregular youth migration
• Demographic Shifts and Ageing: Migration’s Role in Shaping Nepal’s Age Structure:
  • How does youth out-migration reshape dependency ratios and caregiving structures in origin communities?
  • What are the demographic and socio-economic consequences of “left-behind” elderly populations?
  • How does return migration of older adults influence local service needs and social protection systems?
• Role of migrants and diaspora in skill and technology transfer:
  • Prospectives of how migrant returnees are able to transfer technology, skill and technology in Nepal.
  • Possibilities of generating employment through entrepreneurship by migrant returnees.
  • Policy gap analysis to facilitate investment opportunities by migrant returnees in Nepal.

Funding Information

• Grant amount: USD 2100
• Duration: 6 Months

Eligibility Criteria

• Minimum qualification: Last year Master’s degree students, MPhil degree student and early researchers.

Selection Criteria

• Applicants must clearly define their research questions and methodology.
• Preference will be given to proposals with strong analytical frameworks and practical relevance.
• Innovative use of data sources, including media content, local case studies, and fieldwork, is encouraged.

For more information, visit Migration School.