Internal migration in contemporary Nepal: models which internalize development policies

Area of Science:

• Economics
• Demography
• Sociology
• Public Policy

Background:

• Internal migration is a key demographic process in Nepal.
• Understanding migration determinants is crucial for regional development and policy planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relative importance of economic, demographic, social, and government policy determinants of internal migration in Nepal at the interdistrict level.
• To develop and evaluate models for analyzing internal migration drivers.

Main Methods:

• Development of proximate and structural models using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression.
• Investigation of specification error through spatial autocorrelation tests of model residuals.
• Application of a simultaneous equation model using three-stage generalized least squares (3SLS) regression to link proximate and structural determinants.

Main Results:

• Identified key economic, demographic, social, and government policy factors influencing internal migration.
• Quantified the relative importance of these determinants at the interdistrict level.
• Established empirical linkages between proximate and structural migration determinants.

Conclusions:

• Economic, demographic, social, and government policy factors collectively shape internal migration in Nepal.
• The developed models provide a robust framework for analyzing internal migration dynamics.
• Findings offer insights for evidence-based policymaking to manage migration flows and regional development.