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The Educational Outcomes of Children’s Migration Strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2025

Hanzhi Hu Open the ORCID record for Hanzhi Hu [Opens in a new window]
Hanzhi Hu*
Affiliation:
Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
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Email: huhz@cass.org.cn
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Abstract

Internal rural–urban migration and its implications for children’s education are critical factors in understanding China’s rapid pace of urbanization. However, previous studies relying on cross-sectional data often treat migration as a one-off event, oversimplifying the migration process. This study uses data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) for 2010–2018, along with a newly developed analytic strategy, to estimate the effect of children’s migration trajectories on their educational outcomes. Using panel data, this study examines various migration trajectories by considering the directions and frequencies of migrations. Results show the heterogeneities among migrants. First, while permanent migration does not adversely affect children’s education, return migration and multiple migrations lead to increased educational penalties. Beyond the segregation between urban and rural areas, the findings highlight the significant disadvantages linked to migration between provinces, which profoundly affect educational outcomes compared to migration within provinces. Finally, the findings suggest there are gender differences in the impact of migration experiences, with boys facing greater challenges to their education.

摘要

摘要

中国人口从农村向城市的内部流动 (迁移) 及其对儿童受教育水平的影响是理解中国快速城市化及其效应的重要议题。然而, 以往研究依赖于横截面数据往往将迁移视为一次性事件, 因而过度简化了流动人口的迁移过程和轨迹。本研究使用 2010–2018 年中国家庭追踪调查 (CFPS)数据 和固定效应模型来估计迁移轨迹对儿童受教育程度的影响。利用面板数据, 本研究通过考虑迁移的方向和频率来研究不同迁移轨迹对教育获得的异质性影响。首先, 流入城市并且在流入地稳定居住的迁移模式不会影响个体的教育获得, 但在城乡之间往返和多次流动会带来儿童在教育上的劣势。除了城市和农村地区之间的制度区隔之外, 研究发现还强调了与省内迁移相比, 省际迁移对教育获得产生了更大的影响。最后, 研究结果展示了流动过程中的性别差异, 流动经历对男孩教育的影响比女孩更大。本研究的发现鼓励未来研究关注流动人口内部因流动轨迹不同而带来的异质性, 并研究他们的独特经历。

Keywords

educational attainmentintra-provincial and interprovincial migrationmigration trajectoriespanel studiesrural-to-urban migration教育获得省内与省际移民追踪数据分析流动轨迹城乡流动人口

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 263 , September 2025 , pp. 739 - 757
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London.

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