The reform of China’s residence registration system and the migrant workers becoming permanent urban residents
International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)
No.4, 2013
The reform of China’s residence registration system and the migrant workers becoming permanent urban residents
(Abstract)
Yao Xianguo and Xu Qingming
The authors analyze how migrant workers can break the restrictions of the residence registration system and become integrated into cities in the perspective of the structure of rights under the background of transition and upgrading of Chinese economy. For migrant workers, the essence of the integration is to acquire the rights equal to those of the urban citizens. The established regime of urban-rural demarcation and resulting specific dual structure make the equalization inevitable to be restrained by the existing vest interests and migrant workers’ own capabilities. It is impossible to accomplish at one stroke. The intergenerational differences of migrant workers and changes in their claims increase the urgency for them to become urban citizens. Based on an analysis of the restraints on the equalization, the authors suggest a “multi-latter and gradual” roadmap for the reform of the residence registration system through exploration of the viable paths for migrant workers to become urban citizens.