Left-Behind Children and Return Decisions of Rural Migrants in China

Sylvie Démurger and Hui Xu ()
Additional contact information
Hui Xu: Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69007, France ; CNRS, GATE Lyon St Etienne,F-69130 Ecully, France

No 1122, Working Papers from Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon

Abstract: This paper examines how left-behind children influence return migration in China. We first present a simple model that incorporates economic and non-economic motives for migration duration (or intentions to return). Based on Dustmann (2003b), the parent is assumed to be altruistic and to care about the prospects of her left-behind children. We then propose two complementary empirical tests based on an original dataset from a rural household survey carried out in Wuwei County (Anhui province, China) in fall 2008. We first use a discrete-time proportional hazard model to estimate the determinants of migration duration for both on-going migrants with incomplete length of duration and return migrants with complete length of duration. Second, we apply a binary Probit model to study the return intentions of on-going migrants. Both models find consistent results regarding the role of left-behind children as a significant motive for return. First, left-behind children are found to pull their parents back to the village, the effect being stronger for pre-school children. Second, sons are found to play a more important role than daughters in reducing migration duration.

Keywords: return migration; migration duration; left-behind children; discrete-time duration analysis; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C25 C41 J13 J61 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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ftp://ftp.gate.cnrs.fr/RePEc/2011/1122.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Left-Behind Children and Return Decisions of Rural Migrants in China (2013)
Working Paper: Left‐Behind Children and Return Decisions of Rural Migrants in China (2011)
Working Paper: Left-Behind Children and Return Decisions of Rural Migrants in China (2011)
Working Paper: Left-Behind Children and Return Decisions of Rural Migrants in China (2011)
Working Paper: Left-Behind Children and Return Decisions of Rural Migrants in China (2011)
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