Chinese Migrants Research Articles

The effect of human educational capital on health entitlement acquisition among migrant workers in China: evidence from the 2018 China Migrants Dynamic Survey

PurposeThis paper employs nationwide, large-scale field survey data to provide the first empirical evidence on the impact of human educational capital on the acquisition of health entitlement among Chinese migrant workers. The findings of this study hold significant practical implications for the formulation of policies aimed at improving the health protection of migrant workers, as well as for socioeconomic policies during China's transitional period.Design/methodology/approachUsing the IVProbit model, this research examines how human educational capital influences the attainment of health entitlement among migrant workers in China by analyzing the impact and mechanism of education on health entitlement. The study is based on the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) data from 2018, which include 100,177 observations.FindingsFor migrant workers in China, higher levels of education have a significant positive effect on the acquisition of health entitlements, including medical insurance, health records and health education. The positive impact of human educational capital on health entitlements is more significant for non-provincial cities and young-generation migrant workers. The results also show that human educational capital can influence the acquisition of health entitlements through mediators such as financial status, social integration and health status.Originality/valueThis study represents the first empirical attempt to evaluate the influence of human educational capital on the access of migrant workers in China to health rights and interests. Additionally, the study develops a theoretical framework to examine how the impact of human educational capital varies across migrant workers with different characteristics and their access to health entitlements.

Relationship between social interaction and health of the floating elderly population in China: an analysis based on interaction type, mode and frequency

BackgroundAlthough the health of the floating elderly population is an important part of active and healthy ageing, it is neglected in current Chinese society. Based on the general consensus that social interaction can affect the health of the floating population, this study explored whether the interaction type, mode and frequency influenced the health of the floating elderly population in China and investigated the variability of these influential effects.MethodsThis study used the China Migrant Population Dynamic Survey Data 2017 and selected 5239 floating elderly individuals over 60 years old. Self-rated health was used to assess the comprehensive health status of respondents. Social interaction was measured by the interaction type, mode and frequency. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyse the health and social interaction status. An ordinal probit model was used to estimate the influential effects and differences on health caused by social interaction. The 2SLS model was used to examine the mutual causality relationship between interaction frequency and health, and a robustness test was conducted.ResultsA total of 44.6% interacted with local residents, 14.2% participated in interaction activities based on geographical relations, and only 4.3% and 7% participated in interactions based on business and interest, respectively. Interacting with natives improved individuals’ self-rated health by 18.5%; specifically, geographical interaction increased self-rated health by 40.9%, occupational interaction increased it by 25.2%, interest-based interaction increased it by 41.2%, and interaction frequency improved the self-rated health (β = 0.128). In addition, sex, education level, personal income, and floating into the eastern region had a positive effect on individuals’ health. However, age, spouse and hukou exerted a negative effect.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that interacting with local residents could improve the health of floating elderly population, and revealed that interest-based interaction and their frequency had a positive impact on health. The government should speed up the construction of the voluntary service system and encourage the floating elderly population to realize their personal value in social interaction. In addition, the reform of the hukou system should be further promoted, so as to remove institutional barriers to the social interaction.

A Grave Situation: Burial Practices among the Chinese Diaspora in Queensland, Australia (ca.1870–1930)

AbstractMany nineteenth-century Chinese migrants to Pacific Rim countries died far from their home villages. Diverse approaches were adopted to mark graves, possibly anticipating the subsequent, culturally important, repatriation of their bones. This paper evaluates the morphology of grave markers from eight northeast Australian sites and considers reasons for the variations. Physical appraisal of each site was undertaken and, where they exist, cemetery records and allied documentation examined. In an unusual departure from the norm the inscriptions on most identified grave markers rarely indicate date of death. The seemingly meticulous attention to grave identification in some areas contrasts with others where markers are absent. This study indicates divergent approaches to identification and recording of individual graves over time and place. Rather than indicating full-fledged ethnogenesis, wherein Australian Chinese developed new cultural practices, these behaviors suggest that ca.1870–1930 was a transitional period, during which extant cultural processes were adapted to meet immediate needs.

Valuation of domestic work: Construction of stay‐at‐home motherhood among elite Chinese migrants in Singapore

AbstractThis study contributes to the literature on migration, motherhood, and work by exploring how migrant stay‐at‐home mothers view and interpret the values of the unpaid work that they are conducting. Using semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with 36 college‐educated Chinese stay‐at‐home mothers in Singapore, we demonstrate migrant mothers' agency, efforts, and strategies in valuing domestic work and their stay‐at‐home mother status. Drawing on their migration status and relatively privileged educational backgrounds, elite migrant mothers re‐imagine and construct values of stay‐at‐home motherhood by framing their role as productive workers and by linking private and public spheres. Findings demonstrate four distinctive yet related processes that shape how mothers value and validate their domestic work and current status: emphasizing the agentic nature of their work decision, framing their maternal practice as having high quality, identifying the merits of current stay‐at‐home motherhood experiences on their future career pathway, and constructing a shared value of domestic work with their spouses. In the end, this study highlights the importance of going beyond the separate‐spheres ideology in understanding how skilled migrant mothers construct the productive meaning of their stay‐at‐home motherhood.

The association between social integration and utilization of primary health care among migrants in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study

BackgroundMigrants is a large population in China. To improve the health and wellbeing of migrants is a critical policy and social issue in China, and to enhance the utilization of primary health care by migrants is one of the most important approaches in promoting equity in health. However, there exists little research about the association between social integration and the utilization of primary health care. To address the research gap, this research aims at exploring the relation between social integration and the utilization of primary health care among migrants in China.MethodsUsing the national data from China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) in 2017, 169,989 migrants were included in this study. Social integration was measured by social communication, acculturation and self-identity, with 8 indicators. The utilization of primary health care was measured by the receiving of health education on infectious diseases (ID) and noncommunicable diseases (NCD) as well as the first visit institution when migrants were sick. After the descriptive statistical analysis, binary logistic regression was employed to evaluate the association between social integration and the utilization of primary health care.Results65.99% of the migrants received health education on infectious diseases (ID), 40.11% of the migrants received health education on noncommunicable diseases (NCD) and 8.48% of the migrants chose to go to Community Health Center (CHC) seeking for health services. There was a positive effect of social organization participation, the influence of hometown customs, differences of hygiene habits between migrants and local people, integration willingness and evaluation of identity on the receiving of health education on ID and NCD, as well as a positive effect of civil activities engagement and differences of hygiene habits between migrants and local people on the utilization of CHC after getting sick.ConclusionsSocial integration was associated with the utilization of primary health care among migrants in China. Generally speaking, greater social integration was associated with higher possibility of receiving health education on ID and NCD. However, the effect of social integration on the utilization of CHC was more complex among different indicators. There should be more policy interventions to improve the social integration of migrant which help them to get familiar with the health resource available, as well as improve the capacity of CHC.

How attitudes from urban residents shape settlement plans of rural-to-urban migrants in China: the role of hukou

How attitudes from urban residents shape settlement plans of rural-to-urban migrants in China: the role of hukou

Chinese participation in Ghana's illegal small-scale gold mining: Linking local pull factors to distributional inequities

Growing attention paid to the environmental impacts associated with informal artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Ghana has sparked debate about the recent proliferation of Chinese migrants in the sector. This paper contributes to this discussion by focusing on local pull factors, particularly, those that relate to distributional inequity in Ghanaian mining policy and how they serve as catalyst for illegal mining. Findings from qualitative exploratory case studies reveal that illegal Chinese ASM is caused by local grievances and resistance to systemic distributional inequities in Ghana's mineral policy on two related fronts, including inequitable mineral wealth distribution, and inequitable mining land regime. These findings suggest that policy efforts to find a lasting solution to illegal foreign ASM, and illegal mining in the broader sense, should engage and collaborate with all the relevant local stakeholders to address these distributional inequities.

Urban travel time and residential location choice: The impacts of traffic congestion

The rapid growth of urban transportation has led to increased pressure on transportation infrastructure in many urban areas. In this paper, we examine the relationship between urban travel time and decision-making on the spatial mobility of the labor force to optimize the labor space distribution pattern. Using Gaode map traffic congestion delay data, China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) data, and a conditional logit model, we conduct the first study to examine the relationship between travel time and residential location choice in 100 major cities in China, specifically from the perspective of traffic congestion. Our research finds that extended urban travel time significantly promotes population outflow, particularly among individuals with light family burdens, low job loyalty, and more choices. The population outflow effect formed by the extension of travel time shows the law of decreasing in line with the size of cities, with medium-sized cities experiencing the most serious inhibition effect. We also propose the concept of transportation accessibility wage bargaining and estimate the monetary compensation value to be ¥22.50 ($3.33) per day. This finding provides a quantitative reference for the design of a corresponding compensation mechanism to improve residents' willingness to stay in cities.

GERMANY NEEDS SKILLED INDIAN MIGRANT LABOUR

Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world, after the USA, China, and Japan, but Germany still needs huge amount of skilled labour especially skilled Indian migrant labour. This Study provides a descriptive analysis of the need for skilled Indian migrant labour in Germany, and according to BAMF (the federal office for migration and refugees), most highly educated Indians are shifting to Germany every year, not only for higher education and employment but also for business purposes, and Germany also needs them, for whom the Federal Republic of Germany tries to make an attractive immigration policy as well as act for skilled workers. But question is arising: why does Germany need skilled Indian migrant labour? Why does Germany want the most a greater number of Indian migrants except Chinese migrants? What does Germany do to attract Indian Migrants? What is the policy for them if they want to work there and try to integrate into German society? This Study was carried out using the labour migration and pull and push migration theory as a method, which includes newspapers, magazines, books, documents from government agencies, related articles, annual reports etc.

Chinese Migrants Recorded in Foreign Traveling Notes : in the Case of Zhigang and Ligui

Chinese Migrants Recorded in Foreign Traveling Notes : in the Case of Zhigang and Ligui

Digital economy and settlement intention of migrants in urban China

This paper utilizes data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) and the digital economy index at the city level to empirically examine the impact of the digital economy on migrants’ settlement intention. The results reveal a substantial enhancement in migrants' settlement intention due to the digital economy, and these findings remain robust when considering model misspecification, measurement error, and endogeneity of the digital economy. Furthermore, the digital economy contributes to migrants' settlement intention by fostering entrepreneurial activities and augmenting household income. Additionally, we find a significant and positive effect of the digital economy on the settlement intention of migrants with agricultural hukou, while no significant effect is observed for migrants with non-agricultural hukou. Overall, this study offers novel insights into strategies for promoting urbanization.

Negotiating China's rise: The dynamics of Chinese business associations and the Belt and Road Initiative in Brunei Darussalam

With an increasingly assertive China and the intensifying influence of the Sinocentre, Chinese overseas who have access to Chineseness can exercise their agentic power in using their cultural capital for economic gains. Beijing has recognised the potential for diasporic Chinese entrepreneurs to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) given their influence in Southeast Asia's economy. Correspondingly, these entrepreneurs hail the BRI as a strategic opportunity for them to turn their cultural capital into fiscal capital. Considering the increased global connectivity and new Chinese migration geographies led by the BRI, this article examines the case of Chinese business associations in Brunei Darussalam. The heterogenous responses of these ethnic Chinese and their associations to China and the BRI attest to the multiplicity and contestations of Chineseness based on different migration histories and sentiments to their ancestral land. We focus on the dynamics between the old Chinese Bruneian business elites and the more recent Chinese business migrants from Malaysia and China. An investigation of the cultural and economic politics within the Chinese Bruneian business community will provide insights into the modality of Chineseness as an economic asset that can be tactically used by diasporic Chinese entrepreneurs to maintain their social position and to respond to China's economic rise.

Identity (re)construction, return destination selection and place attachment among Chinese academic returnees: A case study of Guangzhou, China

As Chinese cities are issuing talent attraction policies for foreign-educated professionals, there have been waves of Chinese academic migrants returning to the homeland. By using the transnationalism/trans-locality framework and based on 30 in-depth interviews in Guangzhou, this paper studies the identity (re)construction process of skilled Chinese returnees and their integration into destination cities after returning. First, the identity negotiation of academic returnees from the time when they were overseas is investigated, and how their reconstructed identities affect their return destination choice is explored. Meanwhile, the academic returnees' dual place selection rationale is analyzed, how a globalizing city and intellectual gateway like Guangzhou in a developing country acts to attract talents is revealed, and whether its sociocultural environment facilitates or hinders returnees' integration and attachment to the city of residence is uncovered. This paper contributes to the broader migration literature by providing a micro-level detailed analysis of skilled migrants' professional and daily experience after they return to their home country in the Global South. Also, it provides some talent policy implications for higher-education administrations and local governments.

The Interpretation of “diaspora” in Chinese Language: its Diversity and Influence on Social Theory and Practice

Introduction. The Chinese language, unlike Russian, has several terms, denoting different statuses of Chinese migrants, but there is no term such as “diaspora”. These features are interpreted by the authors along the lines of social ontology as independent sociological concepts, constructing particular migrant groups. The article’s oobjective is to show their internal coherence and correlation with the notion of “diaspora” as well as to outline the difficulties and problems occurring as the result of the interaction between researchers dealing with the topic. The relevance of the study stems from the fact that researchers have paid little attention to differences in national academic discourses that are meanwhile very important because intercultural differences can only be negotiated if there is an understanding of what they are. With regard to diaspora discussions, this understanding has yet to be developed. The article shows that in diaspora studies there is a language barrier, which at the moment is currently an impassable obstacle for authors who write about the diaspora in different languages.Methodology and sources. To work on the article, the authors used a discursive analysis of academic texts on Chinese migration and Chinese migrants, as well as dictionaries and official documents such as the Large Chinese-Russian Dictionary, the Tsihai Dictionary (辞海 ci hai – Sea of words), the Large Russian Encyclopedia, State Council resolutions, and Chinese legislation.Results and discussion. The treatment of 10 terms replacing the notion of “diaspora” in Chinese language is disclosed. The authors describe characteristic features of each group. It is illustrated that there is a linguistic asymmetry, as a result of which the European notion of “diaspora” receives specific connotations when translated into Chinese that cannot account all the features of this community, thus in the Chinese academic discourse the substitution with the most important from the translator and editor's point of view equivalent (the situation “instead of diaspora”) is made.Conclusion. It is concluded that in Chinese, through translation, the author expresses important features of the migrant community, emphasising either its closeness, or its distance to the “diaspora” status.

How does the neighbourhood environment influence migrants' subjective well‐being in urban China?

AbstractThis study investigates the role of sense of place (SoP) in the relationship between the neighbourhood environment (NE) and subjective well‐being (SWB), focusing on Chinese migrants who face spatial and cultural displacement. Beyond previous research, we further consider the influence of residential length. Surveying 716 migrants in Wuhan in 2018, we explore the dynamic place mechanisms underlying the association between the NE and SWB. Our findings reveal that the physical and social aspects of the NE, particularly walkability and social integration, significantly impact migrants' SWB. Moreover, SoP mediates the relationship between the NE and SWB, highlighting the social production function of people and places in communities. Long‐term residence does not directly affect migrants' SWB, yet just indirectly influence SWB through SoP. This underscores the ongoing pertinence and significance of SoP, connecting residential stability to positive social implications. This study concludes that the place mechanism underlying the association between the NE and migrants' SWB operates both through migrants' emotional connections to a specific place (SoP) and the reinforcement of place experience resulting from a longer duration of residence. To establish inclusive communities, we propose planning and governance measures that enhance space quality, empower neighbourhoods to foster SoP, strengthen residential stability, and improve migrants' SWB.

The doubly disadvantaged: The motherhood penalty for internal migrants in China

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines hourly earnings differentials among internal migrants in urban China according to motherhood status and child coresidence. It also contemplates the potential mediation of family support and flexible work arrangements.BackgroundExisting research has primarily studied the general population of working mothers, most of whom co‐reside with their children and enjoy access to childcare support from local institutions. Our knowledge remains limited regarding international and internal migrant mothers, a large and vulnerable group that often suffers institutional segregation. Moreover, some migrant mothers leave children behind, while others do not; this fact helps us transcend the dichotomous mother/non‐mother distinction to better understand the nuances between theoretical explanations of motherhood status (being a mother) and childcare obligation effects that are otherwise intertwined in the general population.MethodThis study analyzed a representative sample of 41,996 internal married migrant women in China in 2015. Propensity score weighting methods were used to account for potential selection based on a rich set of confounders. Structural equation models were applied for mediation analysis.ResultsInternal migrant mothers in China are disadvantaged in hourly earnings, particularly those who live with their children. Living with the spouse or parents (‐in‐law) does not mediate the motherhood penalty, but working part‐time and self‐employment do.ConclusionThis study reveals an additional disadvantage for migrant mothers apart from the well‐known difficulties that confront Chinese internal migrants because of institutional segregation. These doubly disadvantaged mothers deserve public attention and policy interventions to attain a family‐friendly employment environment.

Relational resource geographies of beche‐de‐mer under moratorium

AbstractMoratorium is a common marine resource management strategy used by nation‐states that abruptly reclassifies the harvesting and trade of designated resources as ‘illegal’ for a defined period. Nation‐states use moratoria to help ecological stocks of overharvested marine species to recover. The Fijian state instituted a moratorium on the harvest and trade of beche‐de‐mer between 2017 and 2022 due to evidence of overfishing. Through ethnographic fieldwork with Fijian beche‐de‐mer fishers, traders and exporters, I examine how the moratorium affected relational trade flows of beche‐de‐mer. In precolonial Fiji, marine resources flowed through historically established regional socio‐cultural pathways. During the colonial period, Chinese migrants in Fiji occupied a unique relational positionality to indigenous (itaukei) communities, which allowed them bridge domestic and international resource markets. Through my ethnographic fieldwork, I detail how beche‐de‐mer continued to be traded during and post moratorium within such a relational resource geography. I argue that the relational ties between itaukei communities and Chinese‐Fijian buyers that subsequently connect to international markets undermined the moratorium restrictions, as well as the new conditionalities of trade after the moratorium was lifted. Such relationality in the marine resource trade renders moratoria an ineffective marine resource management strategy as it is inattentive to Pacific context.

Anti-urbanization and rural development: Evidence from return migrants in China

There is a noticeable trend toward return migration in both developed and developing countries, including China. Nonetheless, return migration in China has received relatively scant scholarly attention. It is underexplored whether return migrants and local workers are complements or substitutes. In this study, we develop a theoretical model to disclose the mechanism of return migration on villagers. Using a novel self-collected nationwide household survey dataset combining agricultural production and income information in rural China, we examine how return migrants affect rural household income, including income growth, relative income, and expected income growth. The results show that return migrants negatively impact rural household income. This impact is driven by the competition effect and the spillover effect between return migrants and local villagers. We also analyze the identities of return migrants before and after returning to distinguish the transmission channels. Our findings suggest that the government should persist in its encouragement of urbanization and promote return migrants to carry out work that complements local villagers.

Income difference between highly educated migrants and highly educated local‐born workers in urban China

AbstractOur study explores the income of highly educated migrants in China. Based on the 2014 China Labor‐force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), we conducted Blinder‐Oaxaca decomposition of income among highly educated migrants. we found that highly educated migrants, with or without local hukou, have higher income than highly educated local‐born workers. We also found that highly educated migrants without local hukou have higher average income than those with local hukou. Given that the average income is high and knowing a foreign language is highly rewarded in the eastern region and that highly educated migrants without local hukou are clustered in the eastern region, a large percentage of these highly educated migrants know a foreign language and their average income is higher than that of other two groups. Our study demonstrates that not having local hukou, though it brings institutional constraints, does not necessarily lead to lower economic attainment in comparison to having local hukou. If a group has more human capital resources and is sought‐after by the labour market, its members have the luxury of moving to cities where they can maximize their income.

Understanding the social integration process of rural–urban migrants in urban china: a bibliometrics review

Understanding the social integration process of rural–urban migrants in urban china: a bibliometrics review