As a result of China’s marketization in recent years there has been an enormous number of rural—urban migrants. Based on a case study in poor villages on the Loess Plateau of central China, and referring to the overall framework of migration theories, this article examines the social and economic characteristics of migrants and their households, and discusses to what extent rural— urban migration contributes to the social and economic development of the migrant-sending areas, especially in reducing poverty.
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