Applying resource bricolage theory to the city integration of new-generation migrant workers in China.

Ai-Xiang Zheng,Bing Xue

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0256332

Abstract

New-generation migrant workers in Chinese cities are struggling with a lack of urban resources, such as capital, skills, and relationships. To cope with the pressure of these resource constraints, new-generation migrant workers obtain urban development opportunities through resource bricolage. Based on a questionnaire survey of 365 new-generation migrant workers, we used a multiple regression analysis to study the mechanism underlying the effects of resource bricolage on the city integration of new-generation migrant workers. There were four findings: (1) resource bricolage had a significant positive effect on career growth and city integration; (2) career growth had a mediation effect on the relationship between resource bricolage and city integration; (3) environmental dynamism had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between resource bricolage and city integration for new-generation migrant workers; and (4) resource bricolage and environmental dynamism had a moderating effect on city integration through the mediation effect of career growth. The results suggest that resource bricolage promotes the career growth of new-generation migrant workers and further promotes their city integration, and that the environmental dynamism faced by workers is the external condition for promoting integration through resource bricolage. The study emphasizes the importance of resource bricolage in new-generation migrant workers’ city integration.

Highlights

Migrant workers are a unique group in contemporary Chinese economic and social development
In setting the criteria for new-generation migrant workers, we drew on the National Migrant Workers Monitoring Survey Report of the National Bureau of Statistics and the definitions of domestic scholars [20,48], who generally agree that migrant workers born after 1980 are to be considered part of the “new generation.”
The results show that the interaction term of resource bricolage and environmental dynamism had a significant effect on urban integration (β = 0.139, p = 0.008), supporting Hypothesis 5

Summary

Introduction

Migrant workers are a unique group in contemporary Chinese economic and social development. According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, there are currently 287 million domestic migrant workers in China. Among this group, migrant workers born in 1980 and later are called new-generation migrant workers, of which the total population has reached 145 million [1]. Compared with the previous generation of migrant workers, this group has both commonalities and differences. Their vocational skills are not as strong as those of the previous generation of migrant

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion