Research On The Urbanization Of Migrant Workers On The Perspective Of The Urban-rural Dual Structure

With the existence of the urban-rural dual structure and the widening gap between urban and rural area in China, although farmers can migrate to cities for work or business at their will, it is hard for them to get rid of their status as farmers. Their urbanization is hindered by many factors. With regarding breaking the urban-rural dual structure as the breakthrough and coordinating the development of urban and rural area as the reform idea, exploiting effective solutions to the existing problems during the gradual elimination of the urban-rural dual system is a demand in China’s urbanization and also a critical security for achieving the urbanization of the migrant workers.The main part of this paper is divided into five chapters. The first chapter explains some relative concepts and theories on the urbanization of migrant workers. The second chapter is the research on present situations of the urbanization of migrant workers under the urban-rural dual structure. It mainly points out a series of predicament that migrant workers face in urbanization, such as the imbalance among regions, the insecurity for living rights and the difficulties in political participation. The third chapter analyses some factors that hinder the urbanization of migrant workers under the urban-rural dual structure. Among those factors, the dual household registration system is a primary one. Under the dual household registration system, migrant workers face the inequality in employment, social security and their children’s education, etc. The low level and slow speed of China’s urbanization as well as the unreasonable city hierarchy system and inadequate job opportunities in city hinder the effective transfer of surplus rural labors and the urbanization of migrant workers. What’s more, the qualities of migrant workers themselves also lead to the difficulties in the urbanization of migrant workers. The fourth chapter illustrates other country’s experience that we can draw on in the urbanization of migrant workers: The United Kingdom takes advantage of the development of small towns to achieve the urbanization of migrant workers in towns there; The United States exploits a path where industrialization, urbanization and the urbanization of migrant workers is developed synchronically. Japan let leading industry play a role in realizing the urbanization of migrant workers in cities there. All of those can serve as inspirations and references in the urbanization of migrant workers in local area in China. The fifth chapter mainly gives some suggestions on the urbanization of migrant workers under the urban-rural dual system:promoting the urbanization of migrant workers not only lies in the change of the dual household registration system but also in the reform of the housing system, employment system, social security, social welfare and children’s education of migrant worker when they migrant into the urban area. Government should improve migrant workers’quality, providing living security when they integrate into the urban social life. Besides, government should also improve the level of urbanization and prioritize the development of small towns to achieve an efficient transfer of surplus rural labors and the urbanization of migrant workers in cities there.Because of the restraining factors in system, social, economic development and migrant workers’qualities, the process of the urbanization of migrant workers is a complex one, which determines it will also be a long and gradual one.