Abstract

Migration and Residential Property Markets: Case Study China

We have examined the role of migration processes for the development of Chinese residential property markets at province level and have found empirical support of the following hypotheses: Migration between regions bears a close relationship with income differentials. The population shift induced thereby in combination with the disposable level of per-capita income and with urbanization is a dominant factor in the development of regional residential property price differentials in China. The main source of migration processes is the rural area compensating the weak natural growth in population in the metropolis. Conversely, high residential property prices in the conurbations are the determinants of the level of investment activity together with Tobin's q.