Who Migrates Overseas and Is It Worth Their While? An Assessment of Household Survey Data from Bangladesh

The paper assesses the costs and
household level benefits of migrating overseas from
Bangladesh. The authors survey households who have had
overseas migrants to assess their characteristics compared
to non-migrants. They also compute various types of
migration and remittance related transaction costs and
discuss the channels by which overseas migration is
financed, remittances sent and the constraints faced by the
poorest. Using the Propensity Score Matching method, the
paper finds that overseas migration conveys substantial
benefits to families as measured by household consumption,
use of modern agricultural inputs, and level of household
savings. The authors also offer some possible policy
directions to strengthen the returns from migration as well
as reduce some of the costs.