International migration and dietary diversity of left-behind households: evidence from India

Pooja Batra () and Ajay Sharma ()
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Pooja Batra: Jindal Global Business School
Ajay Sharma: Indian Institute of Management Indore

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, No 2, 543-557

Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we analyse the impact of international migration on the food consumption and dietary diversity of left-behind households. Using the Kerala migration survey 2011, we study whether households with emigrants (on account of international migration) have higher consumption expenditure and improved dietary diversity than their non-migrating counterparts. We use ordinary least square and instrumental variable approach to answer this question. The key findings are that: a) emigrant households have higher overall consumption expenditure as well as higher expenditure on food; b) we find that international migration leads to increase in the dietary diversity of left behind households. Further, we explore the effect on food sub-group expenditure for both rural and urban households. We find that emigrant households spend more on protein (milk, pulses and egg, fish and meat), at the same time there is higher spending on non-healthy food habits (processed and ready to eat food items) among them.

Keywords: International migration; Left-behind household; Dietary diversity; Consumption expenditure; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D10 F22 O15 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s12571-025-01540-w

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