Meiqi Li
ABSTRACT
This paper first analyses the historical Rural-Urban migration in China and suggests 3-level reasons behind the change. Then, the model and the empirical work are used to determine the reverse migration stream – Urban- Rural Migration. The model is constructed to find the maximized wealth for individuals who experience the urban-rural migration during their life- time. The empirical framework then studies the reverse migration direction for individuals after a certain age. Overall, this paper suggests that in general, rural-urban migration is one prevailing trend for Chinese people and it greatly triggers urbanization in China. However, with the change in the personal monetary factors and living styles, some people may find hump- shaped wealth when living in urban areas. Therefore, they may leave the city to rural areas when their total wealth is maximized. From the data analysis, older people have a higher likelihood to do urban-rural migration and contribute to counterurbanization in China.
- [1] Anderson, K. H. H. (2019). Can immigrants ever earn as much as native workers?. IZA World of Labor.Google Scholar
- [2] Chan, K. W., & Xu, X. (1985). Urban population growth and urbanization in China since 1949: reconstructing a baseline. China Quarterly, 583-613.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [3] China Statistical Yearbook 1999-2020 http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/Google Scholar
- [4] China Population Census http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/pcsj/Google Scholar
- [5] Combes, P. P., Démurger, S., & Li, S. (2013). Urbanisation and migration externalities in China.Google Scholar
- [6] De Jong, G. F., Abad, R. G., Arnold, F., Carino, B. V., Fawcett, J. T., & Gardner, R. W. (1983). International and internal migration decision making: a value-expectancy based analytical framework of intentions to move from a rural Philippine province. International Migration Review, 17(3), 470-484.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [7] Ethan Lewis & Giovanni Peri (2015). Immigration and the Economy of Cities and Regions. Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, Volume 5AGoogle Scholar
- [8] Haan, A. D. (1997). Rural‐urban migration and poverty: The case of India. IDS Bulletin, 28(2), 35-47.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [9] Hagen‐Zanker, J. (2008). Why do people migrate? A review of the theoretical literature. A Review of the Theoretical Literature (January 2008). Maastrcht Graduate School of Governance Working Paper No.Google Scholar
- [10] Harris, J. R., & Todaro, M. P. (1970). Migration, unemployment and development: a two-sector analysis. The American economic review, 60(1), 126-142.Google Scholar
- [11] Imbert, C., & Papp, J. (2020). Costs and benefits of rural-urban migration: Evidence from India. Journal of Development Economics, 102473.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [12] Kulikowski, R. (1978). Optimization of Rural—Urban Development and Migration. Environment and Planning A, 10(5), 577-591.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [13] Kundu, A. (2009). Urbanisation and migration: An analysis of trends, patterns and policies in Asia.Google Scholar
- [14] Lagakos, D., Mobarak, A. M., & Waugh, M. E. (2018). The welfare effects of encouraging rural-urban migration (No. w24193). National Bureau of Economic Research.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [15] Liu, S., Li, X., & Zhang, M. (2003). Scenario analysis on urbanization and rural-urban migration in China.Google Scholar
- [16] Marchand, K., & Siegel, M. (2015). Migrants and Cities: New Partnerships to Manage Mobility. World Migration Report.Google Scholar
- [17] Rashid, S. (2009). Internal migration and income of immigrant families. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 7(2), 180-200.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [18] Sjaastad, L. A. (1962). The costs and returns of human migration. Journal of political Economy, 70(5, Part 2), 80-93.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [19] Speare Jr, A. (1971). A cost-benefit model of rural to urban migration in Taiwan. Population studies, 25(1), 117-130.Google Scholar
- [20] Tacoli, C., McGranahan, G., & Satterthwaite, D. (2015). Urbanisation, rural-urban migration and urban poverty. Human Settlements Group, International Institute for Environment and Development.Google Scholar
- [21] Van Lottum, J., & Marks, D. (2012). The determinants of internal migration in a developing country: quantitative evidence for Indonesia, 1930–2000. Applied Economics, 44(34), 4485-4494.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [22] Zhao, Y. (1999). Leaving the countryside: rural-to-urban migration decisions in China. American Economic Review, 89(2), 281-286.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [23] Zhao, Z. (2004). Rural-urban Migration in China-What do we know and what do we need to know?. CHINA ECONOMIC QUARTERLY-BEIJING-., 3, 517-536.Google Scholar
- [24] Zhang, K. H., & Shunfeng, S. O. N. G. (2003). Rural–urban migration and urbanization in China: Evidence from time-series and cross-section analyses. China Economic Review, 14(4), 386-400.Google ScholarCross Ref
- [25] Zhou, Y.B. (2009). Urbanisation, urban-rural difference–An empirical test of the inverted U - shaped hypothesis of income gap. Economics, 4, 1239-1256.Google Scholar
Recommendations
Impact of Rural Labor Migration on Rural Household Income and Rural-Urban Inequality in China
EBEE '21: Proceedings of the 2021 3rd International Conference on E-Business and E-commerce EngineeringAbstract. Given the huge income gap between rural and urban families in China, the rural labor migration plays an important role in increasing rural household income, and thus, reducing inequality in China. Utilizing family-level survey data, we study ...
Digital dividend or digital divide? Digital economy and urban-rural income inequality in China
AbstractThis study investigates the impact of the digital economy on income inequality between urban and rural areas. Panel data covering 194 cities in China from 2011 to 2018 are employed to construct a digital economy development index using the ...
Highlights- This paper reveals the nexus of digital economy and the urban-rural income inequality in China.
- There is a U-shaped relationship between the digital economy development and the urban-rural income gap.
- There is a threshold effect of ...
From Smart City to Smart Society: China’s Journey Towards Essential Urban-Rural Transformation
Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive InteractionsAbstractAs an economic superpower in the world, China has always been seeking new ways to enhance living environment and improve life equality of its residents. China has thus made substantial progress in the development of smart city with over 700 pilot ...
Comments