Soziologie
RTG 2951 Postdoctoral Researcher Sandhya A.S. publishes New Book on Migration Brokerage
RTG 2951 postdoctoral researcher Sandhya A.S. has published a new book, Agents of Migration: Institutional Embeddedness of Labour Brokerage in Nepal. (Palgrave Macmillan Singapore).
The book examines the expanding role of migration intermediaries in facilitating labour migration and offers a fresh perspective on the institutional foundations of migration brokerage. Drawing on insights from economic sociology, it challenges interpretations that view brokerage merely as a by-product of neoliberal capitalism or as the principal cause of migrant precarity. Instead, the study conceptualizes migration brokerage as an institutionally embedded and contested market for migration services. Focusing on the case of Nepal, the book investigates why migration agents have developed into a durable industry, how brokerage aligns with the interests of labour-exporting and remittance-dependent states, and why intermediaries continue to play a central role despite the expansion of migrant networks and state-led recruitment mechanisms. By analysing market organization, the institutionalization of brokerage practices, and struggles over market legitimacy, the book contributes new insights into migration intermediation, migrant labour processes, and the governance of cross-border labour markets.