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Immigration, hukou system and crime: Evidence from China

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  • Liu, Huan
  • Shen, Taotao

Abstract

This paper investigates the causal effect of the hukou (household registration) system on urban crime. During the hukou reform in 2016, the central government of China removed the migration barriers for some cities and rural migrant population, allowing us to adopt a difference-in-differences method. We evaluate this natural experiment with reform information linked to crime from city-level Prosecutor’s Office. The results show that the hukou reform suppresses criminal activities, leading to a significant decrease in urban crime. Further, we provide two possible mechanisms for the negative effect: promoting equalization of public services and changing skill structure of the inflowing population. In addition, we find that increasing registered population does not adversely affect service provisions for the originally registered individuals. Overall, our analysis sheds new light on the social effects of migration control policies and public services in developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Huan & Shen, Taotao, 2026. "Immigration, hukou system and crime: Evidence from China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:200:y:2026:i:c:s0305750x25003924
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107306
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