Stuck in the Suburbs? Socio-spatial Exclusion of Migrants in Shanghai

Migrants’ residential location plays a critical role in their social integration process. In China, large numbers of rural-to-urban migrants are coming to the major cities for the opportunities they offer, and most of these migrants have to settle in the disadvantaged urban periphery. By examining the place effects of suburban residence on the incorporation of migrants into cities, this paper contributes to the literature on understanding the socio-spatial exclusion of migrants. Drawing on a survey undertaken in Shanghai, it is found that, after controlling for the effects of individual characteristics, migrants living in the suburbs not only earn less than their counterparts in the central city but are also less likely to construct inter-group and diverse social ties to aid prospects. To make matters worse, they have little chance of moving to the central locations where there are more resources and instead are likely to be trapped in the suburbs.