Urban Labour-Force Experience as a Determinant of Rural Occupation Change: Evidence from Recent Urban-Rural Return Migration in China

Zhongdong Ma
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Zhongdong Ma: Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Environment and Planning A, 2001, vol. 33, issue 2, 237-255

Abstract: An integrated approach to temporary migration in developing countries is proposed by linking past urban labour-force experience to postreturn entrepreneurial activities. The central argument is that labour migration is a family strategy to acquire both physical and human capital for a future technological transformation. On the basis of an in-depth survey of returned migrants that was conducted in rural China, I focus on the explanation of return rural occupation change in a multivariate framework. I find that it is the improvement of the migrant's skills and entrepreneurial ability rather than their savings and remittances that strongly facilitates a return rural occupational change. The policy implication of the finding is to shift efforts from narrowing intersectoral wage differentials to improving rural learning and training opportunities.

Date: 2001
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:33:y:2001:i:2:p:237-255

DOI: 10.1068/a3386

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