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Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Economics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2023) | Viewed by 21469

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Juan Chen

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Guest Editor

Department of Applied Social Sciences, Mental Health Research Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: migration; urbanization; well-being; community governance; social policy

Dr. Wei Lu

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Guest Editor

Department of Social Work, School of Sociology and Anthypology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Interests: migration; well-being; child and family social work; child welfare; social policy

Dr. Shenghua Xie

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Guest Editor

School of Public Administration, Faculty of Political Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: urbanization; migration; housing policy; social policy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over half of the world population (more than four billion people) now live in urban settings globally, a number projected to reach five billion by 2030 and seven billion by 2050. While developed countries have already reached a high level of urbanization, 95 percent of urban expansion will occur in developing countries in the coming decades. In the meanwhile, the nature, volume, direction, causes, and consequences of international migration between developing and developed countries keeps changing in a rapidly urbanizing and globalizing world. As people move and cities expand, scholars have yet to determine whether migration and transition in the developing world share common characteristics among themselves or with developed countries; however, one thing is certain—the rapid processes of urbanization and migration create huge challenges for individuals, families, communities, and societies. This Special Issue focuses on issues related to the process of migration and urbanization, both in and between developing and developed countries, and the impacts of migration and urbanization on human well-being, which can be measured both objectively and subjectively. We are also interested in studies exploring potential policies and practice interventions to improve human well-being through social inclusion and integration along the process of migration and urbanization.

Prof. Dr. Juan Chen
Dr. Wei Lu
Dr. Shenghua Xie
Guest Editors

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Keywords

urbanization
migration
well-being
health
mental health
social inclusion
social policy

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 583 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rural Land Transfer and Urban Settlement Intentions of Rural Migrants: Evidence from a Rural Land System Reform in China

by Yinxin Su, Mingzhi Hu and Yuzhe Wu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 2817; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042817 - 5 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2033

Abstract

Using data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this paper provides new evidence on the impact of rural land transfer on urban settlement intentions of rural migrants. There was a rural land system reform in rural China that provided increased compensation for rural land expropriation and allowed the transaction of collective construction land for business purposes. We determine an increase in urban settlement intentions of rural migrants following the reform as an exogenous change in rural land transfer of rural migrants. We examine two mechanisms that may explain how the reform increased the settlement intentions of rural migrants, and our empirical evidence suggests that the reform increased social integration and reduced rural place attachment of rural migrants. Furthermore, we determine variations in the effect of the reform across migrants of various ages, social security benefits, and migration distances. Overall, this study extends the implications of the market-oriented rural land reform to sustainable and inclusive urbanization and highlights the role of social integration and rural place attachment in migration decisions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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21 pages, 887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Family Living Arrangements and Migration Distances Shape the Settlement Intentions of Rural Migrant Workers in China

by Lei Che, Haifeng Du, Xiaoyi Jin and Marcus W. Feldman

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16308; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316308 - 6 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1968

Abstract

Rural migrant workers and their families will decide the future of China’s urbanization. Using data from the “China Migrants Dynamic Survey and Hundreds of Villages Investigation” carried out in 2018, we examine whether and how family living arrangements and migration distances shape rural migrant workers’ settlement intentions in urban areas. In general, rural migrant workers’ settlement intention is shown to be weak. However, individuals with children are more likely to have a stronger intention to settle permanently in urban areas. Among geographical factors, geospatial distance exerts a negative influence on migrant parents’ settlement intention when the interaction effect of family living arrangements and migration distances is considered. Migrant families are increasingly concentrated in cities near their hometowns with a low entry barrier that allows them to gain access to better amenities. Socio-economic factors, especially disposable income, human resources, and housing conditions, play significant roles in migrant parents’ settlement intention. The age and hometown region of migrant parents are also closely related to their intentions to settle in urban areas. Potential channels for the management of urbanization policy are also explored. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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12 pages, 364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immigration Status, Socioeconomic Status, and Self-Rated Health in Europe

by Hafifa Siddiq and Babak Najand

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15657; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315657 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1857

Abstract

The literature has established a protective effect of socioeconomic status (SES) indicators on health. However, at least in the US, these SES indicators tend to generate fewer health gains for marginalized groups including immigrants. As this literature mainly originated in the US, it is necessary to study whether these indicators similarly correlate with the health of foreign-born and native-born individuals in Europe. The current study was based on the Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory and compared the effects of three SES indicators, namely parental education, own education and income, on self-rated health (SRH) of immigrant and native-born individuals. We used data from the European Social Survey 2020 (ESS 2020). Participants included 14,213 individuals who identified as either native-born (n = 9052) or foreign-born (n = 508). Education, income, and parental education were the independent variables. Self-rated health (SRH) was the outcome. Age and sex were covariates. Linear regression and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Overall, high education, income, and parental education were associated with lower odds of poor SRH. We documented a statistical interaction between immigration status and parental education, indicating a weaker inverse association between parental education and poor SRH for foreign-born than native-born individuals. The links between some but not all SES indicators vary across foreign-born and native-born individuals in Europe. Host countries seem to undervalue the parental educational attainment of foreign-born families. Future research should explore the role of time, period, cohort and country of origin as well as host country and associated policies in equalizing returns of SES indicators on the health of population subgroups. The results are important given that most studies on MDRs are developed in the US, and less is known about Europe. The results are also very important given the growing anti-immigrant sentiment and nationalist movements in Europe and the rest of the world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

18 pages, 3218 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Migration for Better Jobs or Better Living: Shifts in China

by Shuo Yang, Tianheng Shu and Taofang Yu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14576; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114576 - 6 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1915

Abstract

Traditionally, studies of mobility follow two main strands: migration driven by better jobs and by better living. However, the interactions and shifts between them are rarely addressed. In the largest-scale domestic migration, millions of Chinese movers have experienced changes in migration motivations in the past ten years. Starting with migration patterns, we attempt to explore the interaction and changes in migration motivations in a dynamic way and relate them to the evolution of socio-economic contexts. Based on the latest two population censuses (2010 and 2020) in mainland China, we built an empirical model attributing migration motivations to job and living conditions, and then estimated the model by ordinary least squares (OLS) and quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) methods. The results reveal that employment is the primary and fundamental factor, though its impact is weakening. Good living is becoming significantly influential in migration willingness, and there is an interactive effect between the factors of job and living. Furthermore, we offer an explanation of the motivation evolution as being migrants’ response to socio-economic status to maximize their utility. This study contributes to the migration literature from a longitudinal lens, and appeals to a continuous focus on migration evolution in the scientific research on population geography. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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15 pages, 869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Internet Adoption on Health and Subjective Well-Being of the Internal Migrants in China

by Yihan Guo, Junling Xu and Yuan Zhou

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14460; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114460 - 4 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1431

Abstract

During the past decades, the number of rural–urban migrants has dramatically increased in China. Their well-being is important for social development and has attracted the attention of researchers. This paper adopts five waves of repeated cross-sectional datasets within a nine-year span, included in the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS 2010–2018), to evaluate the impacts and mechanisms of internet adoption on the health status and subjective well-being of rural–urban migrants. Empirical results suggest that there are significant positive correlations between internet adoption and health status as well as subjective well-being. The results of structural equation modeling suggest that the impact of the internet on well-being occurs through increasing, bridging, and bonding social capital for rural–urban migrants. The mediating impact of bonding social capital on subjective well-being is more prominent, while the mediating impact of bridging social capital on health is stronger. Furthermore, we have explored the heterogeneous effects across gender and education. This is an early study which investigates such an important topic in the context of the digital era. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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19 pages, 362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Influence of Labor Contract on the Urban Integration of Migrant Workers: Empirical Analysis Based on China’s Micro Data

by Chuangxin Zhao and Manping Tang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11604; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811604 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1700

Abstract

Using the micro data of the China Labor Dynamics Survey (CLDS), this paper uses factor analysis to construct urban integration indicators and uses the OLS model and intermediary effect model to study the urban integration of 1976 migrant workers in 29 cities in China. This paper empirically analyzes the impact of labor contracts on migrant workers’ urban integration and its mechanism. The study found that: (1) labor contract can significantly promote the urban integration of migrant workers. Further, this conclusion is still tenable after correcting endogenous bias with the 2SLS model and performing a series of robustness tests. (2) Signing labor contracts increases the participation rate of migrant workers in various insurances, enhances the social security level of migrant workers, alleviates the discrimination in the urban labor market, and thus enhances the urban integration of migrant workers. (3) The results of the heterogeneity tests show that the labor contract has a greater impact on the urban integration of the new generation, married and public sector of migrant workers compared with the old generation, unmarried and private sector of migrant workers. Therefore, this paper makes the following suggestions: the government should strengthen labor market supervision, encourage employers to sign long-term labor contracts with migrant workers, improve the social security system for migrant workers, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of migrant workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

15 pages, 530 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Community Bargaining with Urban Growth: The Case of J Village in Guangzhou

by Yingyan Xu and Xiaoxing Huang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7857; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137857 - 27 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1627

Abstract

The past several decades have seen China undergo a rapid urbanization process. During periods of economic prosperity, cities expropriate outlying lands, often villages, for economic development with the support of various local and national government programs designed to encourage urban expansion. However, the autonomy of the villages has not been paid enough attention. How does incorporation into an urban development zone affect the community identity and autonomy of a village? How does the village bargain with external urban institutions? This research is based on ethnographic research and interviews conducted in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2021. The results reveal that villagers are generally willing to accept the loss of their collective land in exchange for a larger share of the promised prosperity of industrialization, but over time they tend to find that the immediate benefits of expropriation are outweighed by long-term costs. They lose the support of the state and are exposed to new vulnerabilities, such as pollution and economic instability. Indeed, they agree to undertake unknown future risks in exchange for short-term gains. They cannot gain the right to the city, but gradually lose control of the village. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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14 pages, 865 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Multi-Dimensional Influencing Factors Regarding the Perceived Social Integration of New Urban Immigrants: An HLM Analysis Based on Data from 58 Large- and Medium-Sized Cities in China

by Fulian Li, Yang Sun, Youlu Zhang and Wuwei Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7017; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127017 - 8 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1635

Abstract

Based on the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) data from 2018 and the data from 58 large- and medium-sized cities in China, in this paper a hierarchical linear model was used to investigate the impact of demographic characteristics, social participation, and economic and social development on the perceived social integration of new urban immigrants at the individual and urban levels. The results revealed the following: (1) social participation, gender, age, education, health status, flow time and housing type of new urban immigrants had a significant positive impact on their perceived social integration, while income showed a U-shaped relationship with the sense of urban social integration; (2) macro-urban characteristics regulated the correlation between micro-individual factors and perceived social integration; (3) the significant advantages of new urban immigrants with higher education and more social participation in the process of integration into urban society were more obvious in cities with higher levels of economic development or public services. These findings enriched relevant research on the factors influencing the social integration of new urban immigrants and provided valuable insight with which the government could use to improve urban construction and promote the equalization of basic public services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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17 pages, 665 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Subjective Social Mobility among Migrant Children in China

by Wei Lu, Nian Liu and Juan Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5685; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095685 - 7 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2004

Abstract

Little scholarly attention has been paid to the relationship between children’s subjective social mobility and their “social ecology”. Children’s subjective social mobility is about how they perceive their future social position compared to their parents’. Social ecology refers to the influential multi-layered surrounding factors, including family, school, and community. We analyzed data from structured questionnaires completed by 2221 migrant children (1296 boys and 925 girls, with a mean age of 11.7 years) from three private schools in Guangzhou and Foshan, China. The findings indicate that participants anticipated a significant improvement in their future social status. Of the factors influencing this belief, community integration has the most significant impact (TE = 0.246), followed by school integration (TE = 0.220) and family socioeconomic status (TE = 0.053). We also found that children’s self-concept plays a role in their perceptions of social mobility. Based on the study results, we propose recommendations to provide migrant children additional protection and enhance their living environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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Review

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19 pages, 1330 KiB

Open AccessReview

Becoming Urban Citizens: A Three-Phase Perspective on the Social Integration of Rural–Urban Migrants in China

by Xia Sun, Juan Chen and Shenghua Xie

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 5946; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105946 - 13 May 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3589

Abstract

This article attempts to provide an integrated conceptual framework for understanding how rural–urban migrants in China integrate into urban society. We propose a three-phase conceptual framework in which the social integration of rural–urban migrants is categorized into circular migration, urban settlement, and urban integration. We argue that the three phases differ with respect to the aims of migration, the identity of migrants, the key dimensions of social integration, the role of government, and the hukou policy. While the transition from circular migration to urban settlement is an outcome of economic development and change in demographic structure, as reflected by the economic conditions of rural–urban migrants, welfare expansion also plays a critical role during this process. We further hypothesize that the transition from urban settlement to urban integration will be a result of the social interaction between rural–urban migrants and local urbanites, within which social capital and cultural factors are vital. Since most rural–urban migrants are currently at the phase of urban settlement, we suggest that the Chinese government should enlarge welfare provisions to support their settlement in cities. This study contributes to improving the understanding of how to facilitate social integration of internal migrants in developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization, Migration and Well-Being)

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