Intra-national citizenship and dual-hukou strategies among migrant families in China

Abstract

This paper contributes to understanding rural-to-urban intra-national citizenship practices under China's integrated urban-rural development scheme since the 2010s. It builds on theories of citizenship to understand the boundary-making process of the Chinese hukou system and the emergence of dual-hukou families (having both rural and urban hukou) as a form of multiple territorial citizenship. Dual-hukou families represent a significant divergence from traditional rural-to-urban trajectories. Using a national survey on migrant conditions (CMDS), multilevel logistic regressions are applied to investigate individual/family-level and city-level factors on dual-hukou practices. Results reveal that dual-hukou families are less likely to want to give up their rural-hukou than double-rural counterparts, despite reflecting a more stable urban settlement. They also exhibit better education and housing conditions indicating instrumental advantages in access to competitive resources. In hukou conversion intentions, rural asset ownership is revealed as a clear motivating factor in maintaining dual-hukou status. Additionally, dual-hukou households in more economically precarious and less desirable host cities are more likely to want to retain their rural-hukou. The findings support the notion that dual-hukou citizenship represents an instrumental strategy among migrant families in extending entitlements beyond location of residence and as an insurance against future uncertainties regarding rural-urban development in China. The paper further reflects on potential new inequalities in the emergence of a more privileged class of dual-status households.