Internal Migration Policies in China: Patterns and Determinants of the Household Registration Reform Policy Design in 2014

This study exploits rich data sources to investigate city-level patterns of internal migration policies in response to the reform of Chinese household registration and the economic, political and sociocultural determinants that drive policy approaches. First, we collected and systematically coded policy documents from 231 cities. Cluster analyses showed that the majority of cities (63%) adopted less lenient selection policies while offering integrative social welfare policies. Rights to internal migration remain selectively granted in China, yet rights to welfare have become more equitable than they were in the past because of the reform. Second, multinomial regression analyses showed that economic development and growth are related to selection policies that are more lenient towards high-skilled migrants, whereas top-down controls of superior governments, local politicians' characteristics (e.g. tenure concerns and hometown favouritism) and migrants' sociocultural environments (e.g. pre-existing labour disputes) account for both selection and integration policies.

Automated summary

This study examines city-level patterns of internal migration policies in response to the reform of Chinese household registration. The results show that the majority of cities have adopted less lenient selection policies while offering integrative social welfare policies. Economic development and growth are related to more lenient selection policies for high-skilled migrants, while top-down controls of superior governments, local politicians' characteristics, and migrants' sociocultural environments account for both selection and integration policies.