Internal Migration in China, 1996-2000: An Ecological Perspective

Xiaodong Wang, Texas A&M University
Xiuhong You, Texas A&M University

This paper explore the issue of internal migration from a human ecological perspective. Population data from China Statistical Yearbook are used to calculate the residual migration rate from 1995 to 1999 for each province or municipality. Other data are used to operationalize the POET variables in 1995. Zero-order and second-order correlation are conducted under the guide to Sly¡¯s organizational migration model. The result of zero-order correlation shows that all the POET variables are highly correlated with migration though the correlation between organization and ET variables are higher than those between migration and the other ET variables. Second-order correlation shows that after controlling for organization variables, the high correlation between E and T variables and migration diminish. Results of the paper provide strong support for an ecological explanation of migration in China. They also imply that organization variables affect migration directly while environment and technology variables affect migration indirectly through organization.