当代经济科学2026，Vol.48Issue(1)：61-74,14.DOI:10.20069/j.cnki.DJKX.2026007
"族旺返原籍":宗族力量与农民工返乡
"Returning to the Origin":The Power of the Clan and the Return of Rural Migrant Workers
摘要
Abstract
A certain amount of human capital is the foundation and prerequisite for promoting rural revitalization.However,with the rapid advancement of China's urbanization process,a large number of rural populations have migrated to urban areas,resulting in an increasingly severe problem of rural population deficit and talent exodus.In fact,urbanization requires a continued transfer of the rural labor force to cities,whereas rural revitalization emphasizes the return of talent to rural areas for development.The two strategies therefore present a certain"contradiction"in terms of the spatial allocation of labor force elements.From the perspective of rural revitalization,the loss of the rural labor force,particularly the outflow of young and middle-aged workers,not only weakens the population base for rural economic development but even triggers a series of economic and social problems,such as"hollow villages,""aging agriculture,"and"landless farmers."This directly hinders the realization of the rural revitalization strategy.Therefore,to achieve the goal of rural revitalization while continuously advancing urbanization,it is first necessary to reverse the trend of labor flowing one-way labor flow from rural to urban areas and establish smooth two-way channels for labor migration between urban and rural areas.The return of migrant workers to their hometowns is an important manifestation of this two-way flow of labor force and is of great significance for achieving the strategic goal of rural revitalization. From the perspective of social capital,this article focuses on the impact of clan power on migrant workers returning to their hometowns.Based on the 2018 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey(CLDS)data and theoretical analysis,the influence of clan power on the return of migrant workers was empirically examined,as was the mechanism through which clan power affects this return.The research results show that clan power significantly promotes migrant workers returning to their hometowns.The greater the clan's influence in the place of origin,the more likely it is that migrant workers will return home.Hometown identity and special trust are two important pathways through which clan power influences migrant workers to return to their hometowns.On the one hand,clan power can strengthen migrant workers'cultural identity towards the traditional customs and social etiquette of their hometowns,as well as their sense of group identity when participating in the public affairs of their hometowns.This strengthens,thereby strengthening their sense of hometown identity and encouraging their return.On the other hand,clan power can enhance familiarity and trust between migrant workers and their neighbors,other villagers,and local residents,thus enhancing special trust towards villagers and promoting their return.Heterogeneity analysis indicates that clan power mainly influences the return of male migrant workers and those in monopolistic clan network structures,as well as those in mountainous villages.First,male migrant workers are more likely than female migrant workers to be influenced by clan cultures such as"raising sons for old-age support"and"preferring sons over daughters,"and thus choose to return to their hometowns.Second,clan power under monopolistic clan network structures has a stronger promotional effect on the return of migrant workers than in villages with non-monopolistic clan network structures.Third,migrant workers in mountainous regions are more likely to be influenced by clan cultures such as"returning to ancestral roots"and"falling leaves return to their roots"than those in non-mountainous areas,and thus choose to return home. Compared with previous studies,the marginal contributions of this paper are reflected in the following aspects:(1)It is the first to explore and confirm that the power of the clan can have a positive effect on encouraging migrant workers returning to their hometowns.This not only enriches the existing research on the economic and social effects of clan power,but also expands the scope of research on migrant worker returns.(2)Based on theoretical analysis,this study empirically examines the influence of clan power on migrant workers'decisions to return to their hometowns,and investigates the mechanisms at play enhancing the comprehensiveness and credibility of the research.(3)It reminds policymakers that in the process of optimizing the spatial allocation of the urban and rural labor force,they should fully recognize the important impact of clan power on migrant workers'decisions to return to their hometowns,thereby leveraging the complementary role of the informal institution of the clan alongside informal institutions such as policies and regulations. The research in this paper verifies the important role of the clan as an informal institution in promoting migrant workers'return to their hometowns,providing a useful reference for establishing a two-way flow mechanism for urban and rural labor force and advancing rural revitalization.关键词
劳动力流动/宗族力量/农民工返乡/家乡认同/特殊信任/社会资本/乡村振兴Key words
labor mobility/clan power/return of rural migrant workers/hometown identity/special trust/social capital/rural revitalization引用本文复制引用
马草原,倪修凤,李清彬.."族旺返原籍":宗族力量与农民工返乡[J].当代经济科学,2026,48(1):61-74,14.基金项目
国家社会科学基金重点项目(22AZD119). （22AZD119）
