Welfare at a Distance: Rethinking Diaspora Engagement Policies Through the Case of Bangladesh

The last decades have seen a broader focus in diaspora engagement policies from a remittance mobilization perspective to a welfare/migrant protection and rights-oriented engagement approach. Despite this transition, a number of gaps still persist in understanding the function and impact of welfare-oriented diaspora engagement policies, specifically in regard to large migrant-exporting nations such as Bangladesh. The main goals of this research are to explore how diaspora engagement has evolved in Bangladesh, specifically in terms of how welfare for migrants has been factored into this engagement process and to what degree this reflects broader patterns in large migrant-exporting nations around the globe. Methodologically, this study adopts a comparative approach based on a critical review of secondary literature, including academic studies, policy documents, and institutional reports on diaspora engagement. The analysis focuses on the Bangladesh case while situating it within broader theoretical and policy debates on diaspora engagement. The results indicate that a welfare-oriented approach that specifically includes migrant support, consular, and reintegration strategies has been incorporated in line with broader patterns in diaspora engagement around the globe, but that these interventions are still in practice and have highly segmented impact in terms of institutional capacity and migrant experience in particular ways.