Based on a survey of rural-urban migrants and subsequent in-depth interviews with them, their employers and officials of relevant government departments in Fuzhou, China, this paper examines the complexity of mobility patterns of rural-urban migrants and its implications for their social protection in China.
It analyses the characteristics of rural-urban migrants and their migration process, and the complex and diversified needs for social protection arising from such characteristics. It examines the current approaches to social protection for rural-urban migrants in such a context, suggesting that the extension of urban- and residence-based approaches is inadequate to meet their needs for social protection. The paper also explores the conceptual and policy implications of the above analysis, focusing on the limitations of the conceptual framework of urban inclusion and exclusion in guiding the discussion of social protection for rural-urban migrants, and on some practical issues such as the portability of social protection programmes and their institutional basis and financing mechanism.
Report Summary: CSP Research Report Summary 01
Related Publication: Social Protection in Asia: Research Findings and Policy Lessons
