Social Networks and Labor Migration: Experimental Evidence from Nepal

Labor migration can be an important pathway for upward mobility (Gibson and McKenzie, 2014; Clemens and Postel., 2017; Mobarak et al., 2020; Bryan et al., 2014; Beegle et al., 2011). Unfortunately, many individuals face large barriers to profitable migration. New migrants must cope with imperfect information on wages and employment prospects in destinations, search costs in finding jobs and housing, risks of abuse by employers, and difficulty navigating unfamiliar laws and norms in a new community. Social networks can help individuals overcome these barriers by sharing information on wages, job opportunities, and strategies for living safely in the destination.

This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing whether connecting peer migrants and incentivizing co-migration improves migration outcomes. The study will measure the impact of the program using a variety of primary data sources, including live-enumerator in-person and phone surveys, as well as semi-automated data collected using smartphones. Depending on their skillset, the RA may assist with managing ongoing implementation and primary data collection activities; cleaning and preparing incoming primary data on intermediate outcomes; descriptive analysis of baseline and program implementation data; spatial analysis of migration patterns; and analysis of the causal impact of the experimental intervention on migration outcomes.