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

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

[SHS:ECO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Economy and finances

return migration

migration duration

left-behind children

discrete-time duration analysis

China

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.

Démurger, Sylvie

Xu, Hui

2011

ENG

other publication

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00617039

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/61/70/39/PDF/1122.pdf