Migration, Urbanization and City Growth in China

Abstract: Migration and urbanization have transformed the Chinese economy and society in the past 25 years. This paper intends to explore the determinants of population flows and city growth using a panel data at the provincial level in China. The main findings are: (i) regional disparities of urbanization in China, in particular those between coastal and inland areas, are very significant; (ii) the open-door policy has encouraged urban development in China; (iii) the population of small and medium size cities grows faster than that of large cities; (iv) the role of the secondary and tertiary sectors differs from region to region. In central China, the secondary sector actually serves as the push factor for local urbanization; and in coastal region, however, it is the development of the tertiary sector that pushes urbanization; and (iv) the labor force tends to move to cities with good infrastructures. JEL classification: J61; O18; R23 Key words: regional disparities; migration; urbanization; city growt