Yi Qiuping, Li Jingjing
College of Finance and Economics, Jimei University, Xiamen, China.
School of Customs and Public Economics, Shanghai Customs University, Shanghai, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Apr 25;13:1574960. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1574960. eCollection 2025.
The hukou system is a population management policy in China. However, existing research has paid little attention to the relationships between hukou-based labour market discrimination and the health of rural migrants. To fill this research gap, we empirically examine whether and how hukou-based labour market discrimination impacts the health of rural migrants by employing an ordered probit model with the data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). Our findings indicate that hukou-based labour market discrimination still prevails in Chinese cities. This discrimination negatively impacts rural migrants' self-rated health. Then, addressing endogeneity and robustness issues using extended regression models and instrumental variables, the conclusions remain valid. We also found that "Whether to seek treatment for illness" emerges as a pivotal mechanism by which hukou-based labour market discrimination affects the health of rural migrants. Additionally, "enrollment in the New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance" effectively mitigates the adverse effects of such discrimination on the health of rural migrants. Our findings underscore crucial guidance for advancing the reform of China's hukou system and improving the health of rural migrants through targeted government policies and social initiatives.
户籍制度是中国的一项人口管理制度。然而，现有研究很少关注基于户籍的劳动力市场歧视与农村流动人口健康之间的关系。为了填补这一研究空白，我们利用2017年中国流动人口动态监测调查（CMDS）的数据，采用有序Probit模型，实证检验了基于户籍的劳动力市场歧视是否以及如何影响农村流动人口的健康。我们的研究结果表明，基于户籍的劳动力市场歧视在中国城市中仍然普遍存在。这种歧视对农村流动人口的自评健康产生了负面影响。然后，使用扩展回归模型和工具变量解决内生性和稳健性问题，结论仍然有效。我们还发现，“是否因病就医”是基于户籍的劳动力市场歧视影响农村流动人口健康的关键机制。此外，“参加新型农村合作医疗”有效地减轻了这种歧视对农村流动人口健康的不利影响。我们的研究结果为推进中国户籍制度改革以及通过有针对性的政府政策和社会举措改善农村流动人口的健康状况提供了重要指导。
