Does City Public Service Distance Increase Sense of Gain to Public Health Service? Evidence from 1394 Migrant Workers in Six Provinces

Abstract

Increasing the well-being of migrant workers is one of the key objectives of promoting equality and safe, people-oriented, and sustainable social development, as well as inclusive globalization. With the equalization reform of the public health system and the reduction of frictions between cities, the well-being of the sense of gain to public health service (SGPHS) of migrant workers has attracted widespread attention. Based on the migrant worker thematic survey data in 2017 and the city statistical data in six destination cities, this study constructed and measured the sense of gain to public health service index and city public service distance index, and then studied the effects of city public service distance on the SGPHS of migrant workers and the heterogeneous effect. The results showed that the SGPHS of Chinese migrant workers is at a moderate level and presents spatial differences. Under the dual mechanism of preference reinforcement effect and public service discount effect, the effect of city public service distance on the SGPHS of migrant works shows an inverted U-shaped relationship, and the results of the endogeneity test by the generalized propensity score matching model are robust. The city public service distance has a significant non-linear effect on the public health service accessibility and provision for migrant workers, as well as on second-generation, low-income migrant workers, and migrant workers in central and western regions. The results provide beneficial insights for the formulation of rational public service policies.