Migration, remittances, and children's high school attendance: The case of rural China

This paper uses a large nationally representative survey data to examine the impact of China's rural–urban migration on high school attendance of left-behind children by disentangling the effect of remittances from that of migration. The results show that the absence of adult household members has a negative impact on the high school attendance of left-behind children in rural areas, while the remittances can partially compensate for this loss. The effects are especially prominent for girls and those children from poor households since girls are usually disadvantaged in rural China and poor households are more likely to be liquidity-constrained.

► I examine the effects of migration and remittances on child education in China.
► Absence of household members has a negative impact on child's high school attendance.
► Remittances can partially compensate for this loss.
► The effects are especially prominent for girls and children from poor households.