Rural migrants' homeownership in Chinese urban destinations: Do institutional arrangements still matter after Hukou reform?

In China, the hukou system has long been cited as the underlying cause of the disadvantages in housing access that rural migrants encounter in urban destinations. However, following the latest round of hukou reform, does the hukou system still have a significant impact on rural migrants' housing outcomes? This paper addresses the question by examining hukou-related arrangements faced by rural migrants, in both their urban destination and their rural town of origin. Based on data from a nationwide survey conducted in 2011, we find that city entry criteria together with insecure and inalienable land rights negatively predict rural migrants' homeownership attainment. Moreover, the impact differs across urban locations. Consequently, although hukou reform has eased discrimination against rural individuals, disparities persist between urban natives and rural migrants. This paper demonstrates that these disparities result from unequal access to social welfare and housing.