Remittances and subjective well-being of the left behinds in Tajikistan

The current study investigates the impact of private transfers from international migrants on subjective well-being patterns of the household members left behind using longitudinal data from nationally-representative surveys conducted in Tajikistan in 2007 and 2011. After controlling for the potential endogeneity of remittance flows through combination of propensity score matching with difference-in-differences estimation, the findings countenance the notion that remittances can have a positive impact on household well-being when measured by satisfaction with life as-a-whole. The results are less robust with respect to improvements in satisfaction with current financial situation among remittance-receiving households. The study also finds the heterogeneity in the impact of remittances across different socio-economic contexts.