Migration

Elise Pizzi and Hu Yue. 2022. "How Does Government Policy Shape Migration Decisions? The Case of China's Hukou System." Modern China.

In the last 30 years, migration and urbanization have transformed China. Chinese cities use the household registration (‘hukou’) to adjust the barriers to gaining local status and access to public service benefits in an effort to shape migration patterns. To what extent do hukou policies shape decisions about migration destinations? We draw on a nationally representative survey of migrants and an original survey experiment to test the effect of hukou barriers and benefits on the relative appeal of different destination cities. We find that strict limits on local hukou status do not deter labor migrants. However, local hukou status is important for migrants because of the public benefits it confers. When migrants can gain access to public services without changing their hukou status, cities boost their appeal. These findings demonstrate that hukou policy has real impact on migration patterns and on access to public benefits for millions of Chinese.

Hu Yue and Elise Pizzi. 2022. "Breaking through the Linguistic Barrier: A Study of Government Policy and Barriers to Migration." China: An International Journal.

Why do migrants choose some destinations over others? This study explores the influence of language on migrant preferences. We argue that migrants prefer to move to regions where the difference in vernacular languages is smaller because of both communicative and cultural considerations. Governments can use language policies to help migrants cross over the language barrier for communication but not culturally. We examined these arguments with survey experiments and econometric analyses of national representative data of China. The empirical evidence supports our arguments even after controlling for the economic and institutional motivations, and uncovers the non-linear effect of proficiency in the language promoted by government policy. The findings have far-reaching implications of understanding the migration decision-making process and the role of language policy in shaping national integration and population dynamics.

Pizzi, Elise. 2021. "Labor Migration and Rural Development in China." in The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Studies. Chris Shei and Weixiao Wei, eds.

Mitchell, Sara and Elise Pizzi. 2021. "Natural Disasters, Forced Migration, and Civil Conflict: The Importance of Government Policy Responses." International Studies Review.

Understanding the connections between environmental change, migration, and conflict is urgent as natural disasters increase in frequency and intensity. Migration is one response to these environmental changes. Existing literature suggests that this environmental migration can cause violent conflict as migrants lose livelihoods, move to new areas, or compete over scarce resources. However, the path through which migration leads to conflict—and the policy responses that either fuel conflict or promote stability—are not well understood. Some countries develop adequate proactive (e.g. infrastructure) and reactive post-disaster (e.g. reconstruction) policies to mitigate grievances and conflict risks from forced migration. Other countries fail to respond adequately to disasters, opening the door for insurgent groups to garner support. We argue that we must collect better data on government policies related to relocation programs, restrictions on movement, and post-disaster reconstruction to identify trigger situations where disasters and migration are most likely to produce violence.

Pizzi, Elise. 2018. “Does Labor Migration Improve Access to Public Goods in Source Communities? Evidence from Rural China.” Journal of Chinese Political Science. [online]

What is the effect of out-migration on drinking water provision in rural China? Despite concerns about the ability of migrants to contribute to collective action for public goods provision, this study demonstrates that villages with higher rates of labor migration are more likely to have public drinking water than those with little migration. Temporary labor migration reduces isolation and increases the connections outside the village. Funding organizations favor villages where they have contacts as well as villages that they perceive as in need of support because most working-age adults are working outside the village. As a result, villages with high rates of out-migration are more likely have public access to drinking water. The findings are based on data from a survey of more than 50 natural villages in two townships of Southwest China.