How Does Internet Use Promote Returned Migrant Workers’ Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Rural China

PurposeThere is a pressing need for research on the difference in entrepreneurial performance influenced by the integration of migrant workers’ psychological capital and entrepreneurial opportunity identification. In addition, there is limited research on the association of entrepreneurial performance with different dimensions of psychological capital and how these dimensions affect the entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers. This research will partially address this gap in knowledge by assessing the influence of psychological capital and entrepreneurial opportunity identification on the entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers in China.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conducts a theoretical analysis of psychological capital, entrepreneurial opportunity identification and entrepreneurial performance and proposes a theoretical model of entrepreneurial opportunity identification acting as the intermediary role between psychological capital and the entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers. Based on the data collected from 899 rural households in Shaanxi Province, a structural equation model and a bootstrap method are used to verify the association between psychological capital, entrepreneurial opportunity identification and entrepreneurial performance.FindingsBoth entrepreneurial opportunity identification and psychological capital are conducive to the improvement of entrepreneurial performance. However, the entrepreneurial opportunity identification is found to exert a more significant impact on the entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers than psychological capital does. Findings have also revealed that the intermediary role of entrepreneurial opportunity identification is more prominent in the relationship between adventure and innovation and the entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers than that of self-confidence and optimism and entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers.Originality/valueBased on the results of empirical analysis, the paper proposes corresponding policy recommendations for guiding migrant workers to capitalize on their psychological capital, identify entrepreneurial opportunities, weigh up entrepreneurial risks and ultimately improve their entrepreneurial performance.

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The Effect of Internet Usage on the Income of Returned Rural Migrant Worker

Zhang,

Zheng,

Tooba

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The Internet usage in rural areas has already greatly improved the quality of rural life and income level of rural residents in China. However, there is a lack of discussion on the impact of Internet use on the income of returning migrant workers. This paper investigates the impact of Internet use on the income of returning migrant workers, its potential channel, as well as family income categories and consumption categories as the extension by using the data of CLDS from 2014 to 2018. We find that, firstly, Internet use can significantly improve the total income level of returnees, and this conclusion is not changed after considering the endogeneity problem and do several other robust checks. Secondly, the accumulation of social capital, the accumulation of material capital and the improvement of entrepreneurial probability are the three main channels for the Internet to improve the income of returnees. Heterogeneity analyses show that compared with western regions, low-income groups and religious believers, Internet use in central and eastern regions, high-income groups and non-religious returnees has a stronger impact in promoting income. Finally, the extended analyses show that the use of the Internet mainly improves the non-agricultural income of returning households, and increases family improved consumption as a result. This paper indicates that the government should further strengthen the policy of Internet use of returnees to help them improve their income level and quality of life.

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How Does Internet Use Promote Returned Migrant Workers’ Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Rural China

Cited by 3 publications

References 48 publications

The impact of Internet infrastructure development on the urban entrepreneurship of rural migrants: evidence from the Broadband China policy

The impact of Internet infrastructure development on the urban entrepreneurship of rural migrants: evidence from the Broadband China policy

Psychological capital and the entrepreneurial performance of migrant workers: intermediary role of entrepreneurial opportunity identification

The Effect of Internet Usage on the Income of Returned Rural Migrant Worker

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