Migration and Rural Sustainability: Relative Poverty Alleviation by Geographical Mobility in China

Abstract

Migration is an important way for rural labourers to break the uneven distribution of resources, earn more income and seek their own sustainable development. However, existing studies have focused more on rural–urban migration and less on geographical migration. Our study further enriches the existing research on poverty reduction and provides a theoretical reference for policy decisions to promote a balanced regional development. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2012–2020, we conduct benchmark estimates through linear probability models and estimate the impact of migration on the relative poverty of the rural labourer through binary probit models. The results show that migration could significantly reduce the likelihood of a relatively poor state of rural labourers by around 4%; the greater the distance of migration, the greater the effects; and migration of rural labourers in the central region has the largest and most significant relative poverty reduction effect. Furthermore, migration could also compensate for the disadvantages of rural labourers who are unemployed, less educated and in poor health, making them less likely to be relatively poor. We also use multiple linear models to examine whether migration has a significant income-boosting effect on the rural people and found a positive result in which the effect reaches its highest in the central region at 22.95%. Therefore, it is necessary to further break down the barriers to geographical migration of rural labourers, strengthen the public transportation system and pay greater attention to Central China in order to better promote balanced development among regions.

The Impact of Changes in Rural Family Structure on Agricultural Productivity and Efficiency: Evidence from Rice Farmers in China

“…This is consistent with Meng et al (2016) [5], Zhou et al (2020) [22], and Kocatepe et al (2023) [55]. Our findings also emphasize the importance of considering regional differences in migration, which supports to some extent the views regarding migration region heterogeneity and distance heterogeneity mentioned in the studies of Lim (2019) [26], Xu and Li (2023) [56], and Piyapromdee (2021) [57].…”

“…We suggest that the government take measures to facilitate convenient transportation for migrant workers commuting between their hometowns and their off-farm work locations, particularly for those migrating to outside the province. Moreover, implementing different levels of transport subsidies or transitional living subsidies for migrant workers who migrate across regions and provinces is a valuable consideration [56].…”

Participatory communication strategies for poverty alleviation in remote indigenous communities

“…The agriculture sector, which serves as a key source of income for many people, is frequently affected by swings in prices and meteorological circumstances that worsen the vulnerability of rural populations. In addition, poverty is also prevalent in metropolitan areas, where persons working in the informal sector and those underemployed face difficulties in meeting their basic needs (Mittal et al, 2023;Xu & Li, 2023).…”

“…Effectively managing slum areas with development communication requires the integration of participatory communication, the utilisation of social capital, and the facilitation of innovation diffusion. This comprehensive strategy guarantees that development endeavours are focused on the community, promoting social unity and originality while also tackling the underlying factors of poverty and enhancing the quality of life in impoverished regions (Bustos et al, 2023;Dobbs & Loh, 2023;Kataoka & Darangina, 2023;Luo et al, 2023;Mittal et al, 2023;Newig et al, 2023;Safitri, 2021;Xu & Li, 2023).…”

Can rural cooperatives reduce poverty vulnerability of smallholder households? Evidence from rural Western China

“…On the one hand, China's poverty standard is only roughly equivalent to the World Bank's extreme poverty line, 1 if the low-middle poverty line and the high-middle poverty line are applied, China still has a large number of low-income people; On the other hand, many families are at risk of returning to poverty. Nearly 2 million people who have escaped poverty are at risk of returning to poverty, and nearly 3 million of the marginal population are at risk of becoming poor (Xu and Li, 2023;Zhang et al, 2023). Reducing the risk of poverty among low-income groups is therefore the central task in China's rural revitalization strategy.…”