Incorporating the Aspirations Framework into Migration Research: Challenges and Opportunities

Migration scholarship has traditionally relied on push-pull factors to explain human movement. However, scholars have increasingly identified a "mobility bias" in the field, noting that actual migration is often the exception rather than the norm, even in regions with high migration intentions. To address this, theorists like de Haas and Carling argue for a shift in focus: rather than simply asking why people move, we must examine the aspirations to migrate (or stay) and the capabilities required to realize those desires. Simultaneously, sociological perspectives, notably Appadurai’s, frame aspirations as a "cultural capacity" that is socially constructed and unevenly distributed. Despite the importance of these future-oriented perspectives, many development interventions fail because they ignore what individuals actually hope for. This volume engages with these theoretical intersections, exploring how the deep-seated "capacity to aspire" interacts with structural realities to shape life trajectories in the Global South.

The primary goal of this Research Topic is to bridge the gap between Appadurai’s concept of aspirations as a cultural capacity and the capabilities-aspirations framework within migration studies. We seek to address a critical disconnect in current social science research and policy: the misalignment between well-intentioned development interventions and the actual life expectations of the populations they serve. For instance, programs focusing solely on technical skills or temporary employment often fail to reduce migration intentions because they do not address the fundamental human desire for stability and long-term dignity. By centering the "voice" of the subject, this volume aims to move beyond standard economic metrics to understand how hope, resilience, and specific visions of the future drive decision-making. We aim to publish articles that not only describe these dynamics but also offer rigorous methods to measure complex concepts like "hope" and "future expectations," ultimately providing evidence to inform more effective, empathetic social policies.

We welcome empirical (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method) and theoretical contributions. While the central theme is migration, we encourage papers that explore implications for related social phenomena such as education, fertility, and labor market integration. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• aspirations and behavior: How specific life aspirations (e.g., stability, home ownership, family welfare) shape migration intentions and actual mobility behaviors

• temporal dynamics: How expectations and aspirations about the future evolve during the migration journey or change after settlement in a destination country

• those left behind: The perspectives, future outlooks, and aspirations of migrants' families remaining in the place of origin

• methodological innovations: Papers proposing or evaluating methods to better capture, operationalize, and understand future expectations (e.g., arts-based data collection, AI analysis of narratives, longitudinal approaches)

• contextual drivers: How expectations and aspirations are socially constructed by family dynamics, local opportunity structures, violence, and resilience

• intersections: The relationship between migration aspirations and other key demographic transitions, such as educational attainment, fertility timing, and employment

• intervention analysis: Results of evaluations or case studies of social interventions specifically designed to help individuals expand their "capacity to aspire" (Appadurai) and how these interventions influence migration propensities.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Migration, Migration Intentions, Life Expectations, Perceptions about the future, Youth aspirations

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.