The Impact of Social Capital on Land Arrangement Behavior of Migrant Workers in China

Abstract

In China, the land arrangement behavior of over 160 million rural-urban migrant workers is closely related to the optimal allocation of rural land resources and sustainable development of urban and rural areas. Although previous studies show that social capital affects migrant workers’ land arrangement behavior, few are empirical studies revealing the relationship between them, and the corresponding interventions remains unclear. Using survey data collected in China’s Henan Province and a multinomial Logit model, this study empirically analyzed the mechanism behind the impact of social capital on migrant workers’ land arrangement behavior from the perspective of social capital. Results illustrate that social capital has a significant impact on the land arrangement behavior of migrant workers. The behavior is significantly correlated with the scale of migrant workers' urban social networks, the degree of urban social trust and urban belonging. The more social capital in urban areas, the higher tendency migrant workers to abandon their land contracting rights and become permanent urban residents. This study reveals the mechanism of social capital affecting migrant workers’ land arrangement behavior, and provides a reference for decision-making with respect to guiding migrant workers’ land management behavior for other countries facing similar social problems.