Investigating the Role of Migration on Household Wellbeing: A Study in an Emerging Market

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the impact of internal migration on household wellbeing, measured using a multidimensional wellbeing index (MWI). Utilizing the Alkire–Foster methodology, we conceptualize MWI to encompass the following five broad dimensions: education, health, income and employment, standard of living, and inclusion. The study is based on household‐level primary data collected from the Indian state of Jharkhand using a multistage stratified sampling method. Data were analyzed using probit regression with MWI as a dependent variable. Our findings suggest that (i) internal migration has a positive association with households' wellbeing and (ii) the inflow of remittances significantly contributes to increasing the total household income of migrant families, which positively impacts household wellbeing.