Temporary migration and regional development in China

A new approach to migration in developing countries is used in this paper, which integrates into the migration process the experiences of moving to ci ties, working in urban areas, and returning to the countryside. As a result , rural labor migration is directly linked to rural development through rem ittances, as well as through physical and human capital brought back by ret urn migrants. Migration information is mainly drawn from China's 1995 1% Na tional Population Survey. Findings from other recent migration surveys are also incorporated. It has been found that patterns of temporary migration a re mainly shaped by the magnetic force of the growth-pole region. Job oppor tunities created there in labor-intensive industries have attracted large n umbers of migrants, first from the surrounding rural areas and then from th e peripheral regions, enhancing migration propensity in both areas. As a re sult, migrations from the periphery to the growth-pole region become the la rgest interregional flow. With respect to the effects of temporary migratio n on the development of the rural origin, it is found that the enhancing ef fect of migration on net income is large. In some relatively poor provinces , migrants' net income can even outweigh the provincial rural net income. M ore importantly, a return trend has recently emerged. About 4 million migra nts returned to rural areas in the early 1990s, bringing back both physical and human capital. The volume is increasing, with returnees playing a cruc ial role in the development of rural areas in the peripheral regions.