Impact of Returnee Remittances on Migrant Households’ Well-Being in Bangladesh

The study evaluates the impact of returnee remittances (RRs) on the well-being of migrant households in Bangladesh using survey data collected from two migrant-intensive districts using multi-stage stratified random sampling. Our findings reveal that RRs have a positive and significant impact on subjective, objective, and relational dimensions of well-being. The pre-post analysis suggests that sensible investments in human capital and positive agreement on improved social status by migrants confirm their subjective well-being. Increased participation of migrant families in regular social ceremonies ensures relational well-being. Moreover, the findings for objective well-being employing the propensity score matching (PSM) technique indicate that compared to non-migrants, remittances contribute to returnee migrants’ land possession, income, expenditure, savings, and investment base. Hence, RRs proved to be an effective medium for ensuring migrant households' welfare in Bangladesh by contributing substantially to income generation, upgrading living standards, and improving the social recognition level. Policies aiming at launching intervention programs of financial literacy including digital finance for safe money transfer and creating a conducive atmosphere for investment are essential to maintain remittance inflows and to foster RR's positive impact more sustainable.