The Voluntary-Forced Dichotomy in Migration: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The paper argues that the voluntary–forced migration dichotomy dominates migration scholarship and policy discussions in Nepal, but oversimplifies human mobility, particularly Nepal’s labour outflows, where economic “choice” often masks structural compulsion. Recent evidence challenges this binary, revealing continua of constrained agency amid overlapping drivers. This scoping review maps contemporary literature (2021–2026), critiques the dichotomy, and synthesizes empirical evidence on migration drivers, agency erosion, and shared vulnerabilities to advance continuum frameworks and policy-relevant insights. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, three authors searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and DOAJ using terms like “voluntary migration,” “forced migration,” and “dichotomy” (2021–2026). The PRISMA numbers are inconsistent throughout the manuscript. 213 abstracts screened; 49 full-texts assessed, excluding 36 (weak focus/non-empirical), yielding 13 studies (6 Nepal-focused, 5 quantitative, seven qualitative, and one mixed). The Nepali studies demonstrate “voluntary” migration as an economic necessity driven by unemployment, job scarcity, household coping (contributing 25% GDP remittances), plus recruitment coercion via debt bondage and exploitative contracts. The climate-conflict overlaps compound pressures; identical health risks and well-being deficits transcend categories, validating spectrum models over rigid binaries. Rigid binaries fail; continuum approaches better capture hybrid realities. Recommendations include longitudinal mixed-methods research, reforms to recruitment that ban fees, universal protections for all migrants, and climate-adaptive policies that harness remittances for equitable governance beyond labels.