BIG AND SMALL CITY PREFERENCES OF MIGRANT WORKERS IN CHINA: CASE STUDIES OF BEIJING AND JINZHOU BIQING LI BA, Nankai University MSc, Renmin University of China A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Geography, Environment, and Population (GEP) School of Social Sciences Faculty of Arts The University of Adelaide February 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... I LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... VII LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... X ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. XI DECLARATION ...................................................................................................... XIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... XIV ABBREVATIONS AND ACROMYMS ................................................................... XV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction and background to this study .............................................................. 1 1.2 Selection of study areas ........................................................................................... 3 1.3 Research questions and objectives .......................................................................... 4 1.4 Inequality and internal migration in China ............................................................. 5 1.5 State policy and inequality in China ....................................................................... 6 1.5.1 State policy and the formation of spatial inequality between cities in China .. 6 1.5.2 State policy and the formation of social inequality between rural-urban migrant workers and local urban hukou holders ..................................................................... 7 1.5.3 China as a case of interwoven spatial and social inequality ........................... 11 1.6 State policy and internal migration: from direct interference to indirect influence ..................................................................................................................................... 11 1.7 Organisation of the thesis ...................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 15 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Macro determinants and micro motivations of migration ..................................... 15 2.2.1 Theories explaining migration ........................................................................ 16 2.2.2 The behavioural aspects of migration ............................................................. 19 2.2.3 Household migration ...................................................................................... 21 2.2.4 Stepwise migration ......................................................................................... 22 I 2.3 Rural-urban migrant workers in China ................................................................. 23 2.3.1 Migration, hukou conversion, official migrants and unofficial migrants ....... 23 2.3.2 Hukou residents, regular residents and existing population of a city ............. 25 2.3.3 The diversity of rural-urban migrant workers in China .................................. 26 2.3.4 Big city life and small city experience ........................................................... 28 2.4 The hierarchy of places in China as potential migration destinations .................. 28 2.4.1 Rural-Urban Division ..................................................................................... 29 2.4.2 The tiered urban system in China ................................................................... 29 2.5 Migration intentions .............................................................................................. 33 2.5.1 Migration intention and migration behaviour ................................................. 33 2.5.2 Classification of migration intentions ............................................................ 33 2.6 Hukou conversion intentions................................................................................. 34 2.6.1 The changing value of hukou ......................................................................... 34 2.6.2 Hukou conversion intentions in the New-Style Urbanisation era .................. 36 2.6.3 Classification of hukou conversion intentions ............................................... 37 2.7 Aims and measures of the New-Style Urbanisation policy .................................. 37 2.7.1 Adjustment of social inequality to achieve better inclusion of rural-urban migrant workers ....................................................................................................... 38 2.7.2 Adjustment of spatial inequality between tiers of cities ................................. 39 2.7.3 Directing rural-urban migrant workers to smaller cities ................................ 40 2.8 Influence of hukou on migration decisions ........................................................... 41 2.9 Research gaps ........................................................................................................ 42 2.10 Theoretical framework ........................................................................................ 43 2.11 Conclusion........................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 47 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 47 3.2 Selection of research approach: mixed methods ................................................... 47 3.3. Justification of the case study areas ..................................................................... 49 II 3.4 Fieldwork schedule ............................................................................................... 52 3.5 Sampling design .................................................................................................... 52 3.5.1 Sampling in Beijing city ................................................................................. 53 3.5.2 Sampling in Jinzhou city ................................................................................ 54 3.6 Data collection ...................................................................................................... 54 3.6.1 Survey ............................................................................................................. 54 3.6.2 Questionnaire design ...................................................................................... 55 3.6.3 Interview ......................................................................................................... 56 3.6.4 Secondary data ................................................................................................ 60 3.7 Quantitative data analysis ..................................................................................... 61 3.7.1 Place marketing and measuring a city ............................................................ 61 3.7.2 Statistical techniques ...................................................................................... 65 3.8 Qualitative data analysis ....................................................................................... 66 3.8.1 Document analysis .......................................................................................... 67 3.8.2 Interview data analysis ................................................................................... 67 3.9 Ethical considerations ........................................................................................... 68 3.10 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 68 3.11 Conclusion........................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER 4: PROFILING THE CITIES OF BEIJING AND JINZHOU ............ 71 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 71 4.2 Distinctive administrative ranks ............................................................................ 71 4.3 Distinguishing economic development ................................................................. 72 4.4 Different requirements for hukou conversion and changes in benefits ................. 75 4.5 Distinct population structure and growth trends ................................................... 77 4.6 Infrastructure and services .................................................................................... 81 4.6.1 Infrastructure and services in Beijing city ...................................................... 82 4.6.2 Infrastructure and services in Jinzhou city ..................................................... 83 III 4.7 Social insurances ..................................................................................................