Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal (Dec 2019)
The Dynamics of Migration within China: A Study on Socio-Economic Aspects
Abstract
Based on socio-economic aspects, the article describes the overall trends and factors of migration in China. The Chinese society was divided into urban and rural areas since 1949 under a rigid hukou (household registration) system. The analysis is concerned with the historical and structural environment in which rural people move to the city and trying to become new urban citizens. This study has chosen 1995 as the starting year because it is from this year that large-scale migrations started towards Chinese cities. The urban reform led to a certain degree of marketization, which gave rise to peasant migration and this migration, in turn, pushed further the institutionalisation of the market. The Chinese economy was in transition from a socialist planned economy to the more market-driven economy during reform period. The article begins by defining migration and floating population in both general and Chinese perspectives. The second section discusses the trends and factors of migration. The third part deals with socio-economic aspects of migration. The fourth part talks about the impact of migrant labour.
