Study Of Efforts Of The New Generation Of Migrant Workers To Obtain Urban Identity

Since reform and opening up in1980s, China started on a way of transition from planned economy to market economy after long-term differentiated policies in rural and urban areas. It not only changed China’s economic and social landscape, but also brought about migrant workers. In the process of reform and opening up, industrialization and urbanization, hundreds of thousands of farmers left countryside to work in cities, contributing their efforts to China’s modernization.Nowadays, a new generation of migrant workers who were born in1980s and1990s have arrived to constitute the major force of migrant workers, playing an important role in our society and economy. With different background from last generation of migrant workers, the new generation works in cities with a new purpose. While the majority of last generation worked in cities just to make a living, the new generation has a strong desire to be recognized as urban residents in terms of career planning and psychological expectation. In contrast to the great achievement made in economic reform, social reform lags behind. For instance, the economic gap between urban and rural areas is widening. Urbanization lags far behind industrialization. Migrant workers do not enjoy equal status and rights as registered urban residents. Therefore, this thesis employs theoretical study and field surveys to compare the difference between two generations of migrant workers and analyze the characteristics of the new generation and their efforts to obtain urban identity from an inter-disciplinary perspective of political science, sociology and economics. It reveals the obstacles facing the new generation in their efforts for urban identity and proposes relevant solutions, with a view to facilitating their efforts in this regard.The thesis can be divided into five parts:The first part is overview, which discusses the thesis’background and purpose. It discusses both international study of population migration and domestic research of migrant workers’efforts for urban identity from the perspective of generation difference, institutional study, social capital and social recognition. It also introduces the contents and methodology of this thesis.The second part defines migrant workers, new generation of migrant workers and new generation’s efforts for urban identity. In this part, the thesis also makes it clear that the ultimate goal of urban identity of migrant workers can be fulfilled through agricultural modernization and overall development of urban and rural areas. The third part is devoted to a field survey in Qingshanhu district and High-tech zone in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. The survey compares the motivation of migration, employment situation, stability of employment, consumption level and living condition. The statistics in the survey is analyzed in-depth and objectively to demonstrate the characteristics of new generation of migrant workers and their efforts to obtain urban identity.The forth part points out the main obstacles for the new generation of migrant workers to blend in with urban residents, both institutional and non-institutional one. Institutional hurdles includes residence registration system, employment system, social security system and housing system. Non-institutional ones refer to their personal lives, economic and social environment.The fifth part puts forward the basic solution for migrant workers to gain urban identity. Under the guiding principles of putting people first and overall plan, we should bring the role of government, society and enterprises into full play. We should improve our institutional building, provide a good social environment. The advantage of enterprises should also be brought into play to improve the overall quality of the new generation of migrant workers. As a result, the efforts of the new generation of migrant workers for urban identity can be facilitated.