The Impact of Weather and Conflict-Driven Internal Migration on Labor Markets in Nepal

Valerie Mueller, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Jean Francois Maystadt, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Ashwini Sebastian, University of Maryland

It is well understood that extreme floods, droughts, and pestilence render significant damages to agricultural production and long-term growth. Rural workers search for employment elsewhere to mitigate income losses temporarily or move permanently if the damages are too severe and there are limited options for coping. The literature which identifies the consequences of migratory flows on labor market outcomes and ultimately on the welfare of individual’s in hosting communities has largely focused on developed country cases. Scant evidence exists on the way internal migration can affect the labor markets of receiving communities in developing countries, let alone the implications of disaster or conflict-driven migration. The general motivation of our early-stage research will be to understand the consequences natural disasters, conflict, and other shocks have on the internal migration and the labor markets of hosting economies in Nepal.