Do Remittances Improve Nutritional Take-Up? Analysis of Child Nutrition in Nepal

Abstract

Nepal is one of the major recipients of remittance in terms of its ratio to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The remittances received by Nepalese households have been used primarily for the consumption purpose. This article deliberates on whether these remittances are used to improve the nutritional status of the children. The paper examines the effect of remittance on the nutritional scores – HAZ, WAZ, and WHZ – as well as on the stunting, underweight, and wasting of children below five years of age by using the data from NLSS III 2010/11. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimates suggest that there is a positive association of migrant remittance on stunting and underweight of children. The paper further highlights the role that migrant remittance has played in improving the living standard of Nepalese people.