BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

Overseas Migration from Rural Bangladesh: Household and Meso-level Determinants

Author: Ishtiaque Selim and Benuka Ferdousi

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2022v43n1a3

ABSTRACT

According to the new economics of labour migration (NELM) theory, household characteristics have important consequences for migration decisions. The theory argues that such a decision is not an isolated affair, rather it is a result of households' income diversification strategy. However, previous literature has mostly dealt with personal attributes to explain migration (either out country or in-country) decisions. Indeed, past studies have by and large overlooked the influences of household-level determinants of migration. The current article intends to lill this gap in the literature. Using household as a unit of analysis and utilizing a large representative secondary data set, namely, Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2016, the current article tries to find out the household level and the meso-level determinants or migration. The paper finds the importance of some household level (dependency head's age, education and gender, and land productivity) and meso-level correlates (electricity access, length of paved roads and proximity to Dhaka) of international migration from mral households in Bangladesh. Particularly, the study finds that household heads' experience of migration and education increases the probability of international migration. Additionally, female-headed households and households with an endowment of a productive piece of farmland, access to electricity and proximity to the capital show a higher probability of migration. The findings indicate that overseas migration is a strategy for households to diversify income. Based on the findings, the paper provides some recommendations which have highlighted the need for education, arranging credit for households and strengthening the decentralization of migration facilities to encourage overseas migration from rural households.