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Human capital externalities and rural-urban migration: Evidence from rural China

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  • Liu, Zhiqiang

Abstract

This study examines the determinants of rural-urban migration paying special attention to the role of human capital externalities in the rural sector. Using data from a well-known household survey in China, we find that in rural areas human capital externalities have a discouraging effect on rural-urban migration--everything else being the same, a rural resident from a county rich in human capital is less likely to migrate to the city than his counterpart from another county poor in human capital endowment. We also find some evidence that human capital exerts positive external effects on the likelihood for a rural resident to choose off-farm employment and on labor income in the rural sector. These results are robust to alternative model specifications and estimation methods. One important policy implication from this study is that expanding education opportunities in rural areas can help curtail rural-urban migration and therefore alleviate urban unemployment pressure.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Zhiqiang, 2008. "Human capital externalities and rural-urban migration: Evidence from rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 521-535, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:19:y:2008:i:3:p:521-535
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    1. Chad Meyerhoefer & C. Chen, 2011. "The effect of parental labor migration on children’s educational progress in rural china," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 379-396, September.
    2. Wang, Chunchao & Zhang, Chenglei & Ni, Jinlan, 2015. "Social network, intra-network education spillover effect and rural–urban migrants' wages: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 156-168.
    3. Thomas K. Bauer & Matthias Vorell, 2010. "External Eff ects of Education: Human Capital Spillovers in Regions and Firms," Ruhr Economic Papers 0195, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    4. Qing Wang & Ting Ren & Ti Liu, 2019. "Training, skill-upgrading and settlement intention of migrants: Evidence from China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(13), pages 2779-2801, October.
    5. Huaxin Wang-Lu & Octasiano Miguel Valerio Mendoza, 2022. "Job Prospects and Labour Mobility in China," Papers 2207.08282, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2022.
    6. Fang, Lan & Quan, Yurong & Mao, Hui & Chen, Shaojian, 2022. "The Information Communication Technology and Off-farm Employment of Rural Laborers: An Analysis Based on the Micro Data of China Family Panel Studies," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322088, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Magnani, Elisabetta & Zhu, Rong, 2012. "Gender wage differentials among rural–urban migrants in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 779-793.
    8. repec:zbw:rwirep:0195 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Liping Liao & Chunchao Wang, 2019. "Urban amenity and settlement intentions of rural–urban migrants in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-17, May.
    10. Bauer, Thomas K. & Vorell, Matthias, 2010. "External Effects of Education: Human Capital Spillovers in Regions and Firms," Ruhr Economic Papers 195, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    11. Jiangsheng Chen & Caixian Cui, 2018. "Large City or Small Town: an Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Migration Strategies of Rural Households on Income in China," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(1), pages 211-228, March.
    12. Xueru Zhang & Jie Wang & Wei Song & Fengfei Wang & Xing Gao & Lei Liu & Kun Dong & Dazhi Yang, 2022. "Decoupling Analysis between Rural Population Change and Rural Construction Land Changes in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-17, February.
    13. Liu, Qian, 2012. "Unemployment and labor force participation in urban China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 18-33.
    14. Dong, Qi & Murakami, Tomoaki & Nakashima, Yasuhiro, 2018. "Modeling the Labor Transfers from the Agricultural Sector to the Non-agricultural Sector under Food Supply Constraint in China," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274161, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    15. Xiaoyu Sun & Weijing Zhu & Aili Chen & Gangqiao Yang, 2022. "Land Certificated Program and Farmland “Stickiness” of Rural Labor: Based on the Perspective of Land Production Function," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-24, September.
    16. Lei Yan & Xubin Lei & Kairong Hong & Hui Li & Mengyuan Chen, 2022. "Improving Farmer Willingness to Participate in the Transfer of Land Rights in Rural China: A Preference-Based Income Distribution Scheme," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-22, March.
    17. Eric Yaw Naminse & Jincai Zhuang, 2018. "Does farmer entrepreneurship alleviate rural poverty in China? Evidence from Guangxi Province," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, March.

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