P opulation migration , region al econ omic grow th and incom e determ ination in China
are all popular research topics. In a country with a vast geograp hical exten t and varied
geograp hical heritage, and with the hukou or household registra tion system still playin g an
im portan t part in structuring a person’ s life-ch ances, these three variables are closely intertwined.
The presen t study attem pts to link the three togeth er. It draw s on data from a household
survey conducted in the cities of D onggu an and M eizh ou, both of Guangdong provin ce. The
form er has experien ced highly rapid econ omic grow th since 1978 becau se of its proxim ity to
H ong Kong, whereas the latter has su ffered from its relative geograp hical rem oteness. A series
of covaria nce tests arrang ed in a hierarch ical m anner con® rm s the hypothesis that a given set of
incom e determ inan ts has differen t effects in differen t geograp hical and migrator y-statu s settin gs.
W hile incom e generally has a curvilin ear relation ship with age, this is not the case for the
M eizh ou perm anent migran ts. The effect of education on incom e, after con trollin g for occup ation
and other variables, also shows system atic variatio ns with level of econ omic developmen t. In
M eizh ou, where the degree of m arket penetration is low and where form al cred en tials are of
param ount im portan ce, holding a higher education diplom a alm ost guaran tees a higher income,
ceteris paribu s; but in Donggu an education only brings abou t higher incom e throu gh its effects
on occu pation type. The temporary migran ts who do not possess perm anen t resid ential status
con stitu te an obviou s disad van taged grou p. For this grou p, discrim ination prevails, regard less of
the nature of the w ork unit’ s ow nership type.