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International trade liberalization and domestic institutional reform: Effects of WTO accession on Chinese internal migration policy

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  • Yuan Tian

Abstract

Economic institutions that impede factor mobility become more costly when an economy experiences substantial transitions such as trade liberalization. I study how trade triggers changes in labor institutions that regulate internal migration in the context of China’s Hukou system. Using a newly-collected dataset on prefecture-level migration policies, I document an increase in pro-migrant regulations following WTO entry and estimate the impact of prefecture-level trade shocks on migration regulations from 2001 to 2007. I find that regions facing more export market liberalization enacted more migrant-friendly regulations.

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  • Yuan Tian, 2020. "International trade liberalization and domestic institutional reform: Effects of WTO accession on Chinese internal migration policy," Discussion Papers 2020-17, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    • Handle: RePEc:not:notgep:2020-17
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    Keywords

    Trade Liberalization; Institution; Migration Policy;
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