Migrants In Urban China Research Articles

A one-covariate-at-a-time multiple testing approach to variable selection in additive models

. This article proposes a One-Covariate-at-a-time Multiple Testing (OCMT) approach to choose significant variables in high-dimensional nonparametric additive regression models. Similarly to Chudik, Kapetanios, and Pesaran, we consider the statistical significance of individual nonparametric additive components one at a time and take into account the multiple testing nature of the problem. Both one-stage and multiple-stage procedures are considered. The former works well in terms of the true positive rate only if the net effects of all signals are strong enough; the latter helps to pick up hidden signals that have weak net effects. Simulations demonstrate the good finite-sample performance of the proposed procedures. As an empirical illustration, we apply the OCMT procedure to a dataset extracted from the Longitudinal Survey on Rural Urban Migration in China. We find that our procedure works well in terms of out-of-sample root mean square forecast errors, compared with competing methods such as adaptive group Lasso (AGLASSO).

Urban Unemployment Duration Analysis in Post-Reform China

We link China’s accession to the WTO with the unemployment duration of urban jobseekers. Using data from the Rural Urban Migration in China (RUMiC) of a survey conducted in early 2008, we construct an inflow sample of those who started a period of joblessness between January 2002 and December 2007 to estimate the unemployment duration for local urban jobseekers. Deploying the Cox Proportional Hazards and Accelerated Failure Time models, we find reduced trade policy uncertainty significantly shortens unemployment duration, with hazard-rate varying across internal in-migrants and urban natives, due to variations in job accessibility and reservation wages.

The social integration of rural migrants in urban China: The effect of hometown land tenure

AbstractWhile rural migrants living in different housing tenures present significantly variegated levels of social integration, little is known about how land tenure in their place of origin affects their integration into the host cities. Using the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, we identified three dimensions of social integration: (1) permanent settlement intention, (2) cultural integration and (3) psychological integration. We find that migrants do not feel psychological isolation; their settlement intention is lower as a more realistic judgement of prospects. Their cultural integration is even lower, indicating it is a long‐term process. Migrants with land farming by relatives and friends and land subleasing to private are more socially integrated, while hiring someone to cultivate the land, leaving land uncultivated and other land disposal methods reduces migrants' social integration. Furthermore, land subleasing led to stronger psychological integration, even after controlling for the potential endogeneity issue. It weakens their attachment to their hometowns and increases their income to achieve stronger integration. The effect is more salient in the migrants of the new generation, in second‐tier cities and in the digital economy sector.

Adapt or not: A comparison of rural migrant adaptation in two cities in China.

Leading with the principle of 'people-oriented urbanization,' the adaptation of rural migrants in urban China has attracted increasing concerns from policy-makers and scholars. Today, China has proceeded to a new stage of urbanization. Many rural migrants prefer moving to cities near their home villages rather than to large cities, reflecting the changes in migration patterns and expectations of rural migrants. Although migrant adaptation has been repeatedly investigated in academia, researchers tend to address the topic in one host setting, while migrant adaptation in diverse urban settings has rarely been compared. This paper seeks to fill this research gap via a survey conducted in two cities with different urban settings in Jiangsu. The rural migrant adaptation experiences in the two cities are systematically compared. Our statistical results show that economic structure and living costs, on the one hand, and local regulations and socio-cultural environments, on the other hand, determine rural migrant adaptation experiences in different urban settings. Despite abundant employment opportunities in more-developed cities, the high living costs, working pressure, and strict institutional schemes significantly hamper rural migrant adaptation. In less-developed cities, limited employment opportunities and conservative socio-cultural environments hinder rural migrants from adapting in host societies. Our findings suggest that the governments of different cities need to tailor strategies to assist rural migrants in adapting in urban communities.

City size, administrative rank, and Rural–Urban migration in China

This study investigates the effects of city size and administrative rank on rural–urban migration in China and examines the factors that influence the city size effect. We focus on unemployed while job-seeking migrants. Using data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey for 2016 and 2017, we find that city size and administrative rank positively influence the destination of rural–urban migrants. Furthermore, we conclude that individual characteristics and home province features influence the city size effect. Young, unmarried, educated, and first-time migrants tend to choose big cities. Migrants from provinces without a primate city tend to move across provincial boundaries, implying that big cities are destinations. Moreover, the city size effect positively correlates with urban concentration and urbanization. Finally, we noted that first-time migrants tend to select a big city to migrate.

Parental migration, sibling migration, and the educational outcomes of children left behind in rural China

In the appearance of massive rural–urban migration in China, there is an increasing number of left-behind children in rural areas. Extensive literature has examined the impacts of parental migration on the educational and cognitive development of rural left-behind children and had mixed findings. However, the influence of sibling migration and the potential channels have been mostly omitted in previous research. This study aims to evaluate the associations between parental and sibling migration experience and rural left-behind children’s educational outcomes through the channels of remittances and children’s time allocation, and explores gender differences in the overall association and particular channels. We utilize data from the 2014 and 2018 waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and include 2,313 children aged 10–15 in rural China. We propose a conceptual framework and apply structural equation models to identify the overall effects and channels through which parental and sibling migration experience might affect rural left-behind children’s educational expectations and cognitive test scores. Our results show that sibling migration experience harms rural left-behind children more than parental migration experience, and the negative effects are especially pronounced to girls. Remittance sent back home partially offset the negative effects of parental and sibling migration experience on rural children's educational expectations.

Individual preferences, jobs, or amenities? Understanding the destination choices of highly and less-skilled migrants in urban China

Existing research has explored the spatial patterns and determinants of labor migration but has not considered the heterogeneity of migrants. This paper compares the migratory behavior of highly and less-skilled migrants to provide a more nuanced understanding of internal migration in urban China. We employ a nested multinomial logit approach to assess the relative contribution of individual characteristics and city attributes in explaining migrants' destination choices. The findings reveal both similarities and differences in highly and less-skilled migration. Migrants share primary priorities: spatial proximity to hometowns, moving to cities situated higher in the administrative hierarchy, occupations, and wages. But more importantly, migrants of varying skill levels have different strategies as they navigate increasing economic opportunities and public services while simultaneously encountering a discriminatory hukou system. Highly skilled migrants are more mobile and prioritize their personal preferences; less-skilled migrants, although more restricted by gender, age, and hukou types and inclined for stability, tend to maximize their utility through temporary movement to large cities. Hence, policymakers of different cities should recognize people's heterogeneous migration behavior and design targeted policies.

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.

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.

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

Housing tenure and type choices of urban migrants in China

Housing tenure and type choices of urban migrants in China

The effect of rising food prices on nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants in China

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the impact of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants and whether such impact varies across income classes.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study adopts a quadratic almost ideal demand system (QUAIDS) for food demand elasticity and an indirect estimation method for nutrient elasticity to investigate the effects of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants.FindingsThe estimated results indicate that an increase in the price of pork alone would lead to a larger reduction in most nutrients among rural–urban migrants than other single targeted food group, and a simultaneous rise in the price of all food groups would have a remarkably adverse effect on the nutritional status of rural–urban migrants in comparison to the nutritional effects of a rise in one targeted food group. In addition, the nutritional effects of food prices across income classes show that the nutritional status is particularly vulnerable to rising food prices among low-income rural–urban migrants.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on analyzing the impact of rising food prices on the nutritional status of rural–urban migrants, a topic that is very limited in the literature. This study provides a fresh look at the effect of volatile food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants. The results indicate that income growth would have a remarkable positive effect on nutrient intake for rural–urban migrants, especially for low-income rural–urban migrants. However, an increment in nutrients due to a growth in income would not be far from enough to cover the reduction in nutrients as a result of a simultaneous rise in price of all the studied food categories at the same rate.

Temporary Couples? A Chinese Migrant's Dream Narrative

SummaryThis piece presents a narration of a dream by a rural migrant, Yang Cui, who works in the city of Shantou in China. It reveals her inner struggles to end an affair with another migrant worker, Lao Bo. This piece is written as a part of an ethnographic book project on rural–urban migration in China, in which I experiment with different genres of writing in an attempt to address migrants' bewildering existential multiplicity of interior experience, among which some are presented more analytically, some more subjectively, and some more imaginatively. Understanding the human condition in terms of the limits of knowing others and ourselves requires anthropologists to seek creative forms of ethnographic narrative to give shape and voice to existential struggles, ambivalence, and uncertainty of everyday life. This piece attempts to use Yang Cui's narration of her dream as an evocative form of describing her inner struggles being with Lao Bo as a so‐called linshi fuqi (“temporary couple”), through which her self‐knowledge unfolds, reflection takes place, and consciousness finds expression.

Hukou Reform and the “Luohu” of Rural Migrants in Urban China

Along with a series of reforms of the household registration, or the hukou system, there has been a sustained call for its reforms to further integrate rural migrants into cities and sustain the national strategy of urbanization. Nevertheless, does hukou still matter? Is it still a major obstacle to the inclusive development of post-reform urban China? Recently, the effect of the hukou system and its reforms has become a debatable topic. To address the question, in this article, we examine the “luohu” of rural migrants, i.e., rural people who work and/or live in the city obtaining urban hukou, to evaluate the effects of hukou reforms. We argue, along with the improvement of China’s social security system in both urban and rural areas, as well as the increased rights of rural migrants in cities, that the gap between the “value” of urban and rural hukou is decreasing: the boundaries set between urban and rural territories have been diminished; meanwhile, the intentions of rural migrants to luohu in the city have declined. This dilemma indicates that the impact of hukou system per se is fading, which is closely linked to the reforms of other social policies such as welfare and pension systems. As such, to promote the integration of rural migrants in Chinese cities, the focus of China’s hukou reforms should shift from the registration system to more inclusive social policies.

Childhood and rural to urban migration in China: A tale of three villages

AbstractThis article examines how, for many in rural China, experiences of childhood are entangled within the complex processes of rural‐to‐urban internal migration. Drawing upon multi‐generational life history data in three villages, it unpacks three common types of childhood experience. In Village A, where married men migrated but wives stayed behind, children grew up with ‘absent fathers’. In Village B, both parents migrated to cities for work, leaving their children predominantly cared for by grandmothers as a surrogate. In Village C, where parents often took their children to a city with them, the children and their family had to navigate a hostile urban environment that rendered those of rural origin second‐class citizens. Whilst childhood experiences in each setting were distinctive and shaped by their geographies, they shared common features reflecting the urban–rural divide and social inequalities embedded in Chinese society. In the public discourse, institutionalized inequalities experienced by rural communities are often disguised and downplayed with the focus instead on parental separation and the impact on ‘left‐behind’ children. This article reveals it is the stability and quality of care arrangements, rather than mere separation from parents, that is critical to the development of the emotional well‐being of children. Theoretically, the analysis contributes to global scholarship on the dynamics between migration, inequalities and childhood experiences and calls for a broader framing of the debate beyond the dominant concern with physical separation.

Host Identity and Consumption Behavior: Evidence from Rural–Urban Migrants in China

Rural–urban migrants significantly contribute to developing economy, whereas they face high housing prices, rare work opportunities and insufficient consumption. By stimulating the consumption of migrants, their happiness and life satisfaction can increase, regional consumption structural transformation can be stimulated, and economic growth can be boosted. By exploiting the data from the “China Migrants’ Dynamic Survey” (CMDS) conducted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, this study explores the effect of rural–urban migrants’ host identity on their consumption. We measure host city identity by migrants’ sense of belonging in the city. Propensity score matching (PSM), instrumental variable methods (IV), and structural equation modeling (SEM) are adopted to tackle down the potential selection bias and endogeneity concerns. As indicated by the empirical results, host identity significantly impacts rural–urban migrants’ consumption, while regional cultural differences hinder migrants from forming host identity. Compared with those without a host identity, migrants with a host identity, the monthly household consumption increased by 4%, and savings decreased significantly by 1.7%. As revealed by the heterogeneity analysis, the host identity effects are significantly larger for migrants aged over 30 years or for those staying in big cities. The results of SEM show that a one-unit increase in the latent variable of identity will increase the consumption by 5.2%, and education, social insurance, and household registration have a significant effect not only on consumption but also on host identity. The findings of this paper contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the psychological and economic integration of migrants in cities and provide valuable suggestions for city managers and policymakers.

City size, family migration, and gender wage gap: Evidence from rural–urban migrants in China

Finding suitable employment in a city is more challenging for married than unmarried migrants. This paper provides empirical evidence that the denser and more diversified labor markets in large cities help alleviate the colocation problem of married couples. Using data from China, we show that the gender wage gap among married migrants is significantly smaller in larger cities, and this is mainly because large cities have higher employer and population densities. Large cities make married women more likely to be employed and to secure suitable jobs after family migration. We find no evidence for alternative explanations for the correlation between city size and married women’s relative wages.

Settlement intention of migrants in urban China: The effects of labor-market performance, employment status, and social integration

There is growing scholarly interest in settlement intention of migrants in urban China. But little is known about how settlement intention of migrants is shaped by their labor-market performance, employment status, and social integration. Using the structural equation modelling approach, this paper attempts to reveal the trajectory from migrants' labor-market performance to their decision to stay at destinations. Based on the survey data collected from 8 Chinese cities, we found that migrants' labor-market performance positively influences their settlement intention. The impact tends to be more influential for migrants in wage-employment and self-employment groups. For these two groups, the impact consists of direct effect and indirect effect. Perceived labor-market performance, social relation, sense of belonging, and group identity mediate the relationship between labor-market performance and settlement intention. For migrant entrepreneurs, there is only indirect effect of labor-market performance on settlement intention. The results support that the advantage in economic status could break the institutional barrier in migrants' settlement. But for the low-income-level group, the role of individuals’ economic status in shaping their settlement intention is strengthened by the hukou system. Findings point to the significance of adopting distinguished steps to promote settlement intention of migrants for different employment groups.

Housing characteristics and health in urban China: A comparative study of rural migrants and urban locals

AbstractChina's internal migration has produced a massive population of rural‐to‐urban migrants who face more structural and policy disadvantages in cities, compared with urban locals. The two social groups potentially differ both in their housing characteristics and in the health effects of these housing characteristics. These two differences are fundamentally distinct components that make up the overall impact of housing on health disparity between urban locals and rural‐to‐urban migrants. Using the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey data, this study explores the differing connections of housing characteristics and health between the two groups in today's urban China. Overall, housing type and size have greater effects on the health of migrants, whereas housing instability has a greater impact on the health of urban locals. We utilize the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition method to uncover to what extent the disparity in health between the two groups is due to the difference in their housing characteristics or the difference in the health effect of housing characteristics. In so doing, this study reveals two interrelated but distinct sources of housing‐induced health disparity between urban locals and migrants in urban China.

Housing Security and Settlement Intentions of Migrants in Urban China

A huge gap remains in the urbanization rate between China and developed countries, although China has experienced a rapid growth in urbanization rate over the last decade. Critical to the future growth of urbanization is how to increase the settlement intentions of migrants. This study uses land supply for security housing as an exogeneous shock to the supply of security housing in the near future to explore how housing security is associated with intentions to settle down in destination cities of the migrant population. We found that increased land supply for security housing promotes the settlement intentions of migrants. Moreover, housing security is positively associated with permanent settlement intentions, while its relation to temporary settlement intentions is not significant. Lastly, the effect of housing security is larger for households with more housing expenditure. Our results have important theoretical and practical significance for the research on urban development and social welfare.