Domestic and International Migration from China: The Impact of Migration Networks and Rural Political Economy

Zai Liang, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
Miao David Chunyu, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

This paper tests a new strategy to study domestic and international migration simultaneously. Theoretical discussion draws on ideas from migration networks theory and the market transition debate. Data collection is modeled on the success of Mexican Migration Project. The paper estimated three sets of discrete time event history models: model of international migration treating internal and international migration as competing events, model of international migration treating internal migration as a covariate; and model of internal migration treating internal and international migrations as competing events. One finding is that education is more important in initiation of internal migration than international migration. Second, migration networks at the family level shows a different pattern compared to the case of Mexico-US migration. Third, there is evidence that internal and international migrations “deter” each other. Finally, consistent with market transition theory, individuals with cadres in the family are less likely to make internal migration.