Rural to urban migration in China:An overall view

Abstract

China is not merely growing at more than double the rate of the European countries during the Industrial Revolution, it is also urbanising at double the speed. Using a unique dataset of rural-to-urban migrants in 15 major Chinese cities, we give preliminary answers to some of the most pressing policy questions: how many migrants are there and what are their attributes? Are they dissatisfied or are their children doing worse than the children of others? Are they discriminated against in the labour market and, if so, what are the mechanisms via which this discrimination works and where are the market forces to undo the discrimination? Show more