Mobility patterns of floating population and their social protection: Moving from 'urban inclusion' to 'social inclusion'

Based on a survey of the floating population and subsequent in-depth interviews in Fuzhou City, China, this paper examines the complexity and diversity of mobility patterns of the floating population and its implications for their social protection in China. The results show that while a small proportion of the floating population want to settle down in the cities, a substantial proportion of them will return to their hometowns or remain mobile in the near future; and that members of the floating population have different social protection needs from local urban residents and among themselves. The paper identifies three major limitations of the current approach of urban inclusion in meeting the floating population�s needs for social protection, namely its incompatibility with the highly mobile nature of the floating population, its neglect of the floating population�s of social protection arising from their mobile nature, and its neglect of the floating population�s diversified needs caused by their differentiation in their final migration destinations. Based on the above analysis, the paper suggests that the current approach of urban inclusion should be expanded under the conceptual framework of social inclusion, so that the floating population�s distinctive and diversified needs for social protection can be better met. The paper also explores the conceptual and policy implications of the above analysis, focusing on the limitation of the conceptual framework of urban inclusion and exclusion in guiding the discussion of social protection for the floating population and using the conceptual framework of social inclusion and exclusion for such a purpose, and some practical issues such as the portability of social protection programs and their institutional basis and financing mechanism