The effect of e-commerce agribusiness clusters on farmers' migration decisions in China

Using household survey data from three Agro-Taobao villages, which are clusters of e-commerce agribusinesses recently appeared in China, and three nearby non-Agro-Taobao villages, we examine whether originating from an Agro-Taobao village influences a farmer's migration decision. Results show that individuals from Agro-Taobao villages are 26% less likely to migrate than their counterparts from non-Agro-Taobao villages, after controlling for various factors that are likely to influence the migration decision such as demographic characteristics, migration experience, educational background, and health status. Policy implications of our findings are also discussed. [EconLit citations: Q13; Q12]