The effect and mechanism of neighbourhood choice on socioeconomic integration of migrants: Evidence from China

On the basis of the 2013 China Migrants Dynamic Survey provided by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, we explored the impact of neighbourhood choice on the socioeconomic integration of migrants and the underlying mechanism. When problems with endogeneity were controlled, the findings showed that neighbourhood choice had a significant positive effect on the socioeconomic integration of migrants, that is, compared with migrants living in informal neighbourhoods (urban villages or outdated inner-city housing), those living in formal neighbourhoods (commercial housing, affordable housing or work unit housing neighbourhoods) displayed higher socioeconomic integration. Further research found that neighbourhood choice did not directly affect the socioeconomic integration of migrants in China, partly because migrants living in formal neighbourhoods established localized social capital (contacting local residents and government personnel, seeking help from them and increasing expenditures on local invitations and gifts) to promote better integration into the city, and they had a stronger willingness to settle down, which encouraged them to work harder, actively integrated into the mainstream society.