"The Impact of Migration on Children"

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project aims to understand the well-being of children in migrant families in rapidly urbanizing China. In particular, we study how two different family arrangements among migrants -- bringing children with them to cities vs. leaving children behind in villages -- and consequently different physical, familial and economic environments on children's well-being. Utilizing a recent survey on migrants in 12 Chinese cities, we measure children's well-being in different dimensions (physical health, academic achievement, and social development), and analyze how factors at individual, household, school and community level affect children's well- being. In addition to family arrangement, we are especially interested in the role of housing condition, parental absence, gender, and economic improvement in children's well-being, and how these factors affect "migrant children" in cities and "left-behind children" in villages differently. This project shifts the existing research focus in migration fro economic strategies of migrants to the well-being of their children. Combining literature on migration and child development, adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, and utilizing statistical tools such as instrumental variables, this project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of migration in general and migrants' family arrangements in particular on children's wellbeing.