Frontier migration and upward mobility: the case of Nepal

This study investigates how frontier migration affects migrants' socioeconomic improvements in the Tarai, regarded as Nepal's land frontier as well as agricultural back-bone. This investigation is based on personal observations and field survey data collected in Nepal's two Tarai frontier districts of Chitwan and Nawalparasi, in the fall of 1988. The first sections provides a conceptual overview of the relationship between frontier migration and upward mobility that, for the purpose of this analysis, is defined as migrants' comparative socioeconomic improvements over their previous conditions. This is followed by a brief historical discussion of frontier migration and settlement in Nepal's Tarai region. Analysis and interpretation of the field data collected in 1988 form the content of the third section. Concluding remarks deal with implications of the findings for Nepal's local and national development. -from Authors