Migration, Remittances and Household Development

Research Subject: This study provided a brief discussion on the international labor migration, remittances and their contribution to migrant sending households in rural Bangladesh. Approach: Remittances sent by migrants have become a major source of income for many households in Bangladesh. Remittances enable the migrant households to improve their living standard, invest on education, health care and other family welfare activities. Purpose: This study attempted to examine the development impacts of labor migration and remittances on migrant sending families in the context of Bangladesh. Central Questions: The research questions dealt with the drivers of migration; general patterns of spending and investing remittances within households; effect in incomes of the returnee migrants’ households; and impact of remittances on the socio-economic well being of the migrant households. Methodology: The methodology used in this study was qualitative in nature, using in-depth interviews with the migrants and their household members. Results: The study found that migration and remittances could have mixed impacts on migrant sending households. It helped the households to sustain their livelihood and improve their living conditions. However, the study did not find any convincing proof regarding the impact of remittances on sustainable livelihood solution for migrant sending households