Peasant flood in China: Internal migration and its policy determinants

Peasant related intersectoral migration within small localities, or intratownship migration, has been a unique feature of the Chinese modernisation process and has important implications for urbanisation, for the restructuring of the national economy and for the flow of resources. Discusses the facts and patterns of internal migration in China, making cross country comparisons when appropriate. Many features of the Chinese case are unique and surprising, particularly regarding rural to rural migration which is found to be positively related to distance while out and net migration is negatively related to education. Female participation in migration is found to be extremely low and the age distribution of migrants is narrow.