| LIU Jinfeng,LIU Ruiming,SHI Yang.From “Semi-urbanization” to “Urbanization”: The Education Promotion Mechanism of Citizenization of Migrant Workers in China[J].The Journal of quantitative and technical economics,2023,(9):138-156 |
| 从“半城市化”到“城市化”：农业转移人口市民化进程中的教育推动机制研究 |
| From “Semi-urbanization” to “Urbanization”: The Education Promotion Mechanism of Citizenization of Migrant Workers in China |
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| DOI： |
| 中文关键词: 半城市化 城市化 农民工 免费义务教育 居留意愿 |
| 英文关键词: Semi-urbanization Urbanization Migrant Workers Free Compulsory Education Residence Intention |
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| 中文摘要: |
| 中国的城市化呈现出一种典型的“半城市化”状态：大量的劳动力从农村转移到了城市，成了“农民工”，但是，这些“农民工”并未有效实现“市民化”，而是形成了城乡之间数量巨大的“候鸟式群体”。促进“农民工”的“市民化”，实现“半城市化”向“城市化”的转变，不仅影响着亿万农民工的切身利益，而且关系到中国能否在这一转变中释放出强大的内需增长潜力、促进经济高质量增长。本文利用免费义务教育政策的外生性冲击，基于2017年中国流动人口动态监测调查数据考察教育对农民工城市居留意愿的影响。研究发现，免费义务教育政策显著提升了农民工的城市居留意愿。机制检验发现，免费义务教育政策通过提升农民工受教育年限改善其在流入城市的就业状况，提高其收入水平，进而增强其居留意愿。异质性检验表明，免费义务教育政策对大中小城市农民工和市内跨县农民工的城市居留意愿影响更强。本文的政策启示是，在从“半城市化”到“城市化”的过程中，不断完善种类丰富、层次多样的教育体系，不仅有助于促进农民工的市民化，而且可以借此推动中国经济的高质量发展，起到“一石多鸟”的效果。 |
| 英文摘要: |
| China is undergoing an unprecedented urbanization process in human history, with the urbanization rate increasing from 13.26% in 1953 to 65.22% in 2022. Hundreds of millions of rural labor forces have been transferred to cities, promoting rapid urbanization and industrialization in China. However, due to restrictions such as the registered residence system, China’s urbanization has been in a typical “semi-urbanization” state. Many labor forces have transferred from rural areas to cities, becoming migrant workers. However, these migrant workers have not effectively achieved urbanization, forming “migratory bird-like groups” between urban and rural areas. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposes to promote a new type of urbanization centered on people and accelerate the urbanization of the agricultural transfer population. It is not only directly related to the vital interests of billions of migrant workers but also can promote high-quality economic growth.Previous studies have pointed out that the lagging development of China’s urbanization stems from the registered residence system. However, the willingness of migrant workers to reside in cities is not only influenced by external constraints but also closely related to their education. Based on the exogenous impact of the free compulsory education policy, this study estimates the effect of education on migrant workers’ urban residence intention based on the data of the China Migrants Dynamic Survey 2017. We find that the free compulsory education policy significantly improved migrant workers’ urban residence intention. The mechanism test reveals that the free compulsory education policy improved migrant workers’ employment status and income level and thus enhanced their residence intention by increasing their schooling.Further tests reveal that the policy of free compulsory education mainly enhances the residence intention of migrant workers in large and small cities but has no significant impact on migrant workers in supercities and megacities. The free compulsory education policy has a greater effect on the residence intention of cross-county migrant workers than the migrant workers of cross-province and cross-city. Moreover, the benefits of the free compulsory education policy far outweigh the costs. The policy implication of this study is that in the process from “semi-urbanization” to “urbanization,” the continuous improvement of the education system with various types and levels will not only help promote the citizenization of migrant workers but also promote the high-quality development of China’s economy to “kill many birds with one stone.”We make two contributions to the existing literature. First, this study expands and deepens the relevant research on the urbanization of migrant workers. Previous studies have pointed out the role of education in the urbanization of migrant workers. However, these studies have issues of endogeneity. How to accurately identify the causal relationship and explore its mechanism still needs further clarification. Based on this, this study utilizes the exogenous impact events of the free compulsory education policy to provide causal evidence for the impact of education on the willingness of migrant workers to reside in cities. Further, it explores the possible mechanisms that supplement relevant research on the urbanization of migrant workers.Second, this study expands on the relevant research on the consequences of the free compulsory education policy. A large amount of literature has observed the profound impact of the free compulsory education policy, analyzing its effects on children’s enrollment rate, human capital accumulation, child labor use, urban-rural education gap, intergenerational mobility of education, nonagricultural employment choices, and social class mobility. However, no literature has explored the impact of the free compulsory education policy on migrant workers’ willingness to stay in cities. This study provides empirical evidence for the first time, thus supplementing the literature on the consequences of the free compulsory education policy. |
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