PhD in Sociology, Kansas State University, USA, May 2016
Dissertation Title: Female Labor Migration and the Restructuring of Migration Discourse: A Study of Female Workers from Chitwan, Nepal
Specialties: International Development, Social Change, Migration, Research Methods
MA in Sociology, Kansas State University, USA, 2011
MA in English, Tribhuvan University, 2001
BA in English & Political Science, Tribhuvan University, 1999
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, March 2021 – Present
Teach sociology courses to undergraduate and graduate students.
Mentor students in designing and conducting sociological research and writing reports and theses.
Research Fellow, Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM), April 2021- Present
Write research proposals and design and conduct research projects as team leader.
Write and publish research outputs in the forms of reports, policy briefs, working papers and journal articles.
Mentor junior researchers and migration research fellows at CESLAM on research and publications.
Research Coordinator, Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM), Nov 2016 – March 2021
Coordinated research projects and research activities, including publications, on labour migration.
Coordinated the organisation of CESLAM Kathmandu Migration Conference and the publication of selected conference papers through CESLAM.
Mentored junior researchers on research projects and publications.
Wrote research proposals and designed and conducted research projects.
Identified topics for research on internal and international migration of Nepali workers, and proposed them, when applicable, to relevant agencies and organizations for collaboration.
Expert Member in a Task Force formed by the Ministry of Labour, Employment & Social Security, Nepal to identify potential destination countries for Nepali workers, determine the cost of labour recruitment, and identify potential destination countries for Government-to-Government model of labour recruitment (Duration: April 2018– August 2018; Status: Final Report Submitted).
Research and Teaching Assistant, Kansas State University, August 2008 – December 2016
Taught sociology courses to undergraduate students
Mentored undergraduate students in designing and conducting research and writing reports.
Conducted various research activities, including literature review, field work, and research tool designing.
Contributed to data analysis and report writing.
Lecturer, Kathmandu Don Bosco College, Kathmandu, July 2003 – July 2008
Language and Cultural Facilitator, U.S. Peace Corps/Nepal (Pre-Service Training), February – May 2002
Co-investigator for the “Impact assessment of ILO fair recruitment intervention between Nepal and Jordan in the garment sector” (Collaborating partner: Tufts University & ILO).
Team leader for the writing of ‘Nepal Labour Migration Report 2022’ for the Ministry of Labour Employment and Social Security (Collaborating partners: MoLESS, ILO and IOM).
Team leader for the development of ‘Migration Profile of Province 1 of Nepal’ (Funding agency: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation).
Team leader for a study conducted for ‘Mapping Recruitment Agencies’ Practices against Fair Recruitment Principles’ (Funding Agency: SaMi/Helvetas Nepal).
Co-investigator in the study of ‘Seasonal Poverty and Seasonal Labour Migration in Nepal’ (Collaborating partner: Yale University).
Co-investigator of ‘“Leaving Something behind” - Migration Governance and Agricultural & Rural Change in ‘Home’ Communities: Comparative Experience from Europe, Asia and Africa (AGRUMIG)’ (European Commission research grant; Consortium partners: SOAS, University of London, The University of Birmingham, International Water Management Institute, CESLAM and other 10 academic institutions from around the world).
Co-investigator in the study of ‘Social Networks and Migration’ (Collaborating partner: Yale University).
Lead researcher for the study on ‘A Media Analysis of Changes in the International Routes of Human Trafficking from Nepal' (Funding Agency: USAID, UK Aid & Winrock International; Collaborating partners: Institute of Development Studies & Snyder Consulting).
Lead researcher for ‘A Study on Violence against Returned Women Migrant Workers and Their Children in Rupandehi and Dhading Districts in Nepal’ (Funding agency: VSO-Nepal).
Lead researcher for 'Assessment of Outreach and Engagement with Prospective Migrants by the Agencies Recruiting Labourers for Foreign Employment' (Funding Agency: USAID, UK Aid & Winrock International; Collaborating partners: Institute of Development Studies & Snyder Consulting).
Co-principal investigator in the assessment of the ‘Labour Recruitment Process, Working Conditions and Impact of labour Influx in the Host Communities of the Road Projects in Nepal’ (Funding agency: World Bank).
Lead researcher for ‘An Assessment of Available Gender Data on Migration in Nepal’ (Funding agency: UN Women).
Team leader for the 'Rapid Assessment on the Impact of Covid-19 on Private Recruitment Agencies in Nepal' (Hiring agency: ILO).
Lead researcher for the study on the ‘Mapping of Recruitment Agencies Supplying Workers to Jordan, Qatar and Malaysia’ (Funding agency: ILO-Nepal).
Lead researcher for an ongoing study on the ‘Status of Remittance in Nepal’ (Funding agency: Open Society Foundations).
Contributed as a coordinator and co-author in the preparation of separate factsheets for major labour migration corridors of Nepali workers (Collaborating partner: Foreign Employment Board).
Lead researcher for the study on the ‘Migration Flows between Nepal and Japan’ (Funding agency: JICA).
Lead researcher for the 'Survey of Potential Nepali Migrants to Japan' (Funding agency: JICA).
Co-principal investigator for ‘The Political Economic Analysis of Labour Migration Governance in Nepal’ (Collaborating partner: ILO-Nepal).
Consultancy services to ILO-Nepal in the revision of training modules designed to provide pre-departure orientation training to Nepali migrant workers going to Jordan for garment work.
JOURNAL ARTICLES, WORKING PAPERS & RESEARCH REPORTS
Kharel, A., Mobarak, A. M., Shenoy, A., & Vernot, C. 2023. COVID-19 through the Lens of Seasonal Agriculture in South Asia. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 1– 17.
Kharel, A., Shrestha, S., Bhattarai, S., Oosterhoff, P., & Snyder, K. (2022). Assessment of outreach and engagement with prospective migrants by the agencies recruiting labourers for foreign employment. Institute of Development Studies.
Kharel, A., Bhattarai, S., Aryal, P., Shrestha, S., Oosterhoff, P., & Snyder, K. (2022). A media analysis of changes in international human trafficking routes from Nepal. Institute of Development Studies.
Baniya, J., Bhattarai, S., Kharel, A., Rai, N., & Tumsa, D. (2023). ‘Only a few can afford to go to Korea’: The costs of Nepali migration to South Korea. Kathmandu: Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility.
Aksunger, N., Vernot, C., Littman, R., Voors, M., Meriggi, N. F., Abajobir, A., ... Kharel, A., … & Mobarak, A. M. (2023). COVID-19 and mental health in 8 low-and middle-income countries: A prospective cohort study. PLoS Medicine, 20(4), e1004081.
Solís Arce, J.S., Warren, S.S., Meriggi, N.F, … Kharel, A. … et al. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries. Nature Medicine.
Kharel, A., Bhattarai, S., Tumsa, D., Gupta, S., & Sen, P. (2022). Province 1 of Nepal: Migration profile. Kathmandu: SDC & CESLAM.
Mobarak, A. M., Miguel, E., Abaluck, J., Ahuja, A., Alsan, M., Banerjee, A., … Kharel, A. .... & Więcek, W. (2022). End COVID-19 in low-and middle-income countries. Science, 375(6585), 1105-1110.
Kharel, A., Bhattarai, S., Upadhyaya, B. & Tumsa, D. (2023). Women migrant workers from Nepal: Key statistics. Kathmandu: UN Women.
Acharya, K., & Kharel, A. (forthcoming). Psychological distress and stressor: A community based study of Nepali migrant returnees.
Kharel, A., & Gurung, A. (2022). Women's participation in foreign labour migration and spousal violence: A study on returnee women migrant workers in Nepal. Molung Educational Frontier, 12(01), 7-36.
Kharel, A., Mobarak, A. M., Shenoy, A., & Vernot, C. (2021). Seasonal poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic. G²LM|LIC Working Paper No. 52.
Kharel, A., Upadhyaya, B. & Nepali, S. 2021. Rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on private recruitment agencies in Nepal. International Labour Organization.
Babbitt, L., Brown, D., Voegeli, E., Kharel, A., Antolin, A. & Djaya, D. 2019. The benefits of fair recruitment: Results of the impact study on the Nepal-Jordan corridor, ILO.
Kharel, A. (2016). Female labor migration and the restructuring of migration discourse: A study of female workers from Chitwan, Nepal. Kansas State University.
Kharel, A. 2016. Farmers' engagement in cotton production and suicides in India. Molung Research Journal, 6, 10-21.
Kharel, A. & Middendorf, G. 2015. Is fair trade “fair”?: A study of handmade paper producers in Nepal. Journal of Land and Rural Studies, 3(2), 253-273.
POLICY BRIEFS & BOOK REVIEW
Kharel, A., Sugden, F., & Dessalegn, M. (2023). ‘Labor shortage and changes in land use patterns: experiences from migrant communities in Ethiopia and Nepal’. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 11.
Kharel, A., Sugden, F., & Gupta, S. (2023). Outmigration and labour mobility issues and policies in Nepal. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 21.
Aryal, P., & Kharel, A. 2023. Does pre-departure orientation protect labor migrants? Examining pre-departure interventions in Nepal. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 10.
Sugden, F., Aderghal, M., Fengbo, C., Jian, C., Crivellaro, F., Dessalegn, M., ... Kharel, A., … & Vittuari, M. (2023). Migration and its two-way relationship with rural change: lessons from China, Ethiopia, Moldova, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco and Thailand. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 23.
Mollinga, P., Lamba, A., ... Kharel, A., … & Jian, C. (2023). Making sense of diversity in agrarian and rural change outcomes of labor out-migration through comparative analysis: First lessons from China, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal and Thailand. Making sense of diversity in agrarian and rural change outcomes of labor out-migration through comparative analysis: First lessons from China, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal and Thailand. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 24.
Lamba, A., Sugden, F., Aderghal, M., ... Kharel, A., … & Bhattarai, S. (2023). Migration governance and agrarian and rural development: Comparative lessons from China, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal and Thailand. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No.25.
Kharel, A., Bhattarai, S., & Tumsa, D. (2023). Migrant workers’ savings, remittance transfers and remittance use in Nepal. Policy Brief, No. 10. Kathmandu: Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility.
Kharel, A., Bhattarai, S., & Tumsa, D. (2023). Recruitment Cost, Fraud and Redressal in Foreign Labour Migration from Nepal. Policy Brief, No. 9. Kathmandu: Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility.
Bhattarai, S., Kharel, A., & Tumsa, D. (2023). Returnee Migrant Workers in Nepal: Status of Employment, Skills and Access to Government Programmes. Policy Brief, No. 8. Kathmandu: Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility.
Maharjan, S., Sah, K. K., Sugden, F., & Kharel, A. (2023). Migration Governance and Agricultural and Rural Change. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 26.
Gupta, S., Kharel, A., & Sugden, F. (2022). Migration and COVID-19 in context: Labor migration and the agriculture sector in Nepal. AGRUMIG Policy Brief Series, No. 5, SOAS.
Mobarak, A. M., Vernot, C., & Kharel, A. (2021). The Impact of Seasonal Credit on Agricultural Production and Remittances. G²LM|LIC Policy Brief No. 44.
Nicol, A., Abdoubaetova, A., Wolters, A., Kharel, A., Murzakolova, A., Gebreyesus, A., ... & Naruchaikusol, S. (2020). Between a rock and a hard place: Early experience of migration challenges under the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Kharel, A. (2013). Review of Power, change, and gender relations in Rural Java: A tale of two villages, by Ann R. Tickamyer and Siti Kusujiarti, Athens: Ohio University Press, 2012. Rural
Sociology, 78(3), 401-403.