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Return migration and Hukou registration constraints in Chinese cities

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Jipeng
  • Huang, Jin
  • Wang, Junhui
  • Guo, Liang

Abstract

This paper documents the patterns of return migration and labor mobility constraints in China using two unique data: the 2017 China Household Finance Survey and a newly developed urban Hukou registration index. The size of return migrants is larger than that of migrants without local Hukou registration. Majority of return migrants move from more developed region back to their less developed home town where they have Hukou registration. Empirical results show that Hukou registration barrier, typically higher in more developed cities, leads to a higher probability of returning among low-skilled migrant workers, and such an effect only exits among migrants moving across provinces and migrants with rural Hukou.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Jipeng & Huang, Jin & Wang, Junhui & Guo, Liang, 2020. "Return migration and Hukou registration constraints in Chinese cities," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:63:y:2020:i:c:s1043951x2030095x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2020.101498
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    Cited by:

    1. Wenjie Zhang & Xianqiang Zou & Chuliang Luo & Lulu Yuan, 2024. "Hukou reform and labor market outcomes of urban natives in China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-41, June.
    2. Lin, Boqiang & Jia, Huanyu, 2023. "Challenges in the energy transition: How does household registration identity affect public participation in environmental affairs in China?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1337-1348.
    3. Xiaoying Ju & Huizhao Li & Peng Yao & Jianxu Liu & Fei Chen & Songsak Sriboonchitta, 2022. "Analysis of the Impact of Industrial Land Price Distortion on Overcapacity in the Textile Industry and Its Sustainability in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
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    5. Jiantao Zhou & Eddie Chi‐Man Hui, 2022. "The hukou system and selective internal migration in China," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(2), pages 461-482, April.
    6. Xu, Xuelu & Jin, Zeyang, 2024. "Impact of Return Migration on Employment Structure: Evidence from Rural China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Imbert, Clément & Monras, Joan & Seror, Marlon & Zylberberg, Yanos, 2023. "Floating population: migration with(out) family and the spatial distribution of economic activity," CEPR Discussion Papers 18418, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Haiping Xu & Wenjia Wu & Chuqiao Zhang & Yibo Xie & Jinge Lv & Shahzad Ahmad & Zengrui Cui, 2023. "The impact of social exclusion and identity on migrant workers’ willingness to return to their hometown: micro-empirical evidence from rural China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Imbert, Clément & Monras, Joan & Seror, Marlon & Zylberberg, Yanos, 2023. "Floating population: migration with(out) family and the spatial distribution of economic activity," CEPR Discussion Papers 18418, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Li Hao, 2022. "Impact of Relaxing the Hukou Constraints on Return Migration Intentions: Evidence from China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 583-607, April.
    11. Pengfei Ge & Tan Liu & Xiaoxu Wu & Xiulu Huang, 2023. "Heterogenous Urbanization and Agricultural Green Development Efficiency: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-22, March.
    12. Qianqian Chen & Ruifa Hu & Yiduo Sun & Chao Zhang, 2020. "How Does Rural–Urban Migration Experience Affect Arable Land Use? Evidence from 2293 Farmers in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-17, October.
    13. Huaxin Wang-Lu & Octasiano Miguel Valerio Mendoza, 2022. "Job Prospects and Labour Mobility in China," Papers 2207.08282, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2022.
    14. Bansak, Cynthia & Dziadula, Eva & Zavodny, Madeline, 2023. "The value of a green card in the U.S. marriage market: A tale of chain migration?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    15. Guo, Rufei & Zhang, Junsen & Zhou, Minghai, 2024. "The demography of the great migration in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    16. Junjie Gao & Lyubing Feng & Xianguo Yao, 2021. "Information Transmission Mechanism of Inequality of Opportunity and Effort on Settlement Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    17. Bowen Shen & Shijie Zhang, 2022. "Determinants of Workplace Choice: How Important Is the City’s Ecological Environment in Attracting Jobseekers in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, February.
    18. Chaohai Shen & Tong Sheng & Xingheng Shi & Bingquan Fang & Xiaoqian Lu & Xiaolan Zhou, 2022. "The Relationship between Housing Price, Teacher Salary Improvement, and Sustainable Regional Economic Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-21, December.
    19. Guowen Chen & Stephen B. DeLoach & T. M. Tonmoy Islam, 2023. "Precautionary savings and rural‐to‐urban migration: Evidence from Chinese hukou status," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 1215-1233, October.
    20. Yi Liu & Hanyue Wang & Jie Yang & Dingde Xu, 2024. "The Impact of Long-Term Security on the Return of Rural Labor Force: Evidence from Rural China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, October.
    21. Yiyue Huangfu, 2024. "Return Migration of Rural-Urban Migrant Children in China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(3), pages 1-27, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Return migration; Labor mobility; Hukou; Chinese economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • P25 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
    • J00 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - General
    • C26 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation

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