The Applications And Implications Of Push-pull Theory In Chinese Rural-urban Migration

In the21st century, problems about agriculture, rural and peasantry have beenconcerned seriously, the CPC Central Committee and State Council have taken themeasures like increasing investment in agriculture, stabling land contract, reforming therural taxes and fees, and promoting urbanization. These measures have promotedagricultural development, eased farmers’ economic difficulties and improved ruralproduction and living conditions. But from the current point of view, the problems aboutagriculture, rural and peasantry have still not been completely solved. From the currentstage of development, the key is to advance the surplus rural labor to urban areas andnon-agricultural industries reasonably and orderly, on the one hand it can ease the trendof the less of rural per capita arable land and the diminishing marginal productivity oflabor remuneration, on the other hand, it can avoid excessive urban congestion and ruralfallow caused by labor’ blinding transfer.Firstly, I review and evaluate the classical foreign theory of rural-urban migrationand I tease the influencing factors of rural-urban migration in our country; then Irethink the foreign theory which might apply to China conditions; I analysis Chineserural-urban migration based on "push-pull" theory, and extend the model; I build theindex system according to thrust, tension, friction, momentum, etc., carry out theinfluencing factors of China’s rural-urban migration through empirical analysis; finally,I put forward some policy recommendations to promote China’s rural-urban migrationorderly based on the results of the analysis.The main work, opinions and conclusions are as follows:(1) the reflection of classic rural-urban migration model: Lewis model ismainly based on the process of industrialization in developed countries, factors couldflow freely between the industries and rural-urban, there are no obstacles.When therural surplus labor force flows to the urban industry, they achieve conversion fromfamer to citizen at the same time. Todaro model is mainly for Latin American countries,the labor force could flow freely between the rural and the urban, because of the "urbanbias",the city life attracted many rural residents moved to urban, the population aremore than the industrialization process of employment needs, leading to excessiveurbanization phenomenon. Although these two models have important references on ourcountry’ urbanization and rural-urban migration, but there are limitations. There are institutional constraints on the flow, the factor cannot flow freely; we should push therural labor to urban orderly because of the facts of the less of rural per capita arable landand the diminishing marginal productivity of labor remuneration.(2) Interpretation of the expanding push-pull model of Chinese rural-urbanmigration:, the paper extended the push-pull model in connection with theindustrialization and urbanization process in China as well as rural-urban labor forcecharacteristics. On the one hand, the paper rich the theory of the push factors based onthe agriculture, rural development, and the pull factors based on non-agriculturalindustries, urban development; on the other hand, increased education and humancapital constraints, urban-rural dual system, as well as information service platformwhich can improve the migration in the context of transportation and information.Enhancing agricultural productivity, the process of industrialization which produceslarge amounts of non-farm jobs and urban lifestyles promote the rural surplus labortransfer to non-agricultural industries in the city. However, education in rural, humancapital, the difficulty to give up rural land and urban-rural dual system hinder thetransfer of rural-urban migration. The development of transportation andcommunication facilities, information platform between urban and rural can provideinformation on labor supply and demand. The can also promote the rural-urbanmigration reasonably and orderly. Friction and assist power affect rural–urbanmigration by acting on the thrust, pulling power.(3) Empirical analysis based on expanded push-pull model and suggestions toour country: According to expanded push-pull model, the paper analysis the affectingfactors of our country’ rural-urban migration from four aspects: thrust, tension, frictionand assist power, build index system about the affecting factors of our country’rural-urban migration. The paper tests the affecting factors using the available data.Based on the theoretical analysis and empirical part, give some suggestions to promoterural-urban migration: promote agricultural mechanization and land intensive toincrease agricultural productivity, releasing more rural labor force; increase the urbantertiary industry development efforts and support the development of SMEs in order toexpand the space for the rural surplus labor; reform of urban and rural systems to reducethe institutional resistance in the transfer process; strengthen the power of informationtechnology for labor transfer by strengthening information construction in rural areasand t building an information platform.