Abstract

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Title:: Compressed Policy Space:The Educational Dilemma and ActionStrategies of Migrant Families in Beijing

Keywords:: migrant families; migrant children; policy space; action strategyAbout the author: ZHANG Donghui; PhD in Education; is Professor at School of Education; Renmin University of China(Beijing 100872).

Abstract:: This study uses the theories of “policy space” and “action strategy” as the theoretical framework to explore the educational dilemma faced by the migrant families in Beijing amidst a series of policies known as “Two Mainlines”, “Off-Site Gaokao” and “Population Control”, and to investigate the action strategies they adopt in response to these policies. Findings show that in the context of recent population control attempts in Beijing, the policy space for migrant children’s education has been increasingly compressed. Migrant families face the “return or stay” dilemma in terms of where their children can receive school education. However, they do not passively wait for institutional arrangements. Instead, they make use of the different possibilities in the policy space and take active measures to make optimal choices that suit them best.